


Our Love Is Tainted

by ThePurpleChronicler



Series: After Series - American Horror Story: Murder House [2]
Category: American Horror Story: Murder House
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 10:52:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 31,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13409709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePurpleChronicler/pseuds/ThePurpleChronicler
Summary: It's been two months since Tate's sudden disappearance.. and Violet is still looking for him. She fears what he could be doing to himself.. that he may be punishing himself, again.. so she has a plan to find him and save him from his darkness. But little does she and the others know there's much more than a simple darkness affecting him.. Sequel to the Suffering Of Tate Langdon.





	1. Searching For A Darkness

It's been two months since I've last seen him, since I last felt his presence, smelt his hair, touched his skin, kissed his lips, now all I feel is the pain. Tate Langdon, god, his name is all that stays in my head all day, and his face is all I dream about all night. I dream about finding him, being able to sleep beside him once again, but I was always wake up the same way; in tears, knowing that it's all been a dream and not reality. Nothing feels the same since his sudden disappearance, all I've been is upset, I mean, I don't need to eat, but I haven't been, not for weeks. I haven't been giving myself the satisfaction of tasting the sweetness of good food in ages, only because I want to feel the way Tate most likely is, just to feel a connection with him, it's all I want, all I want is him. I miss him like crazy, how much I miss my Tate, is crazier than an American girl loving an Australian boy, I miss him more than every long-distance relationship combined in one, and even Nora knows how bad I've been feeling lately, I think that's something we have that in common. The one I fear most, is what he could be doing to himself, again. I don't want him punishing himself, especially because of something that was most definitely, not in his control, it was Taint, it's always been Taint.

I sit in my room, in the presence of Nora, my mom, and for unknown reasons, Hayden. Hayden has been trying to fit into the family for a while, helping Moira around the house, even assisting my mother when it comes to cooking dinner and, surprisingly, babysitting Jeffrey at times. Another surprising aspect, my mother has been compliant the entire time. But enough about Hayden's past situations, it's about today's situation; finding Tate Langdon. We all sit in my room, enjoying the morning sunshine as we discuss all of the places we have searched for my true love, and the places we are yet to search. But the numbers are quickly depleting, there are few places we could look, and few places I know Tate wouldn't even consider going there. One would be the infantata's den, another would be inside the walls themselves, otherwise, I can't think of anything else, and this is really beginning to piss me off. The fact that my dad was the one to make him disappear makes it worse, so much worse, my mind fills with venomous thoughts every time I look at him. I feel like I'm going to lose my fucking mind sooner or later, and if I don't find Tate in the next week, I feel like it's going to happen quicker than I could ever, ever, anticipate.

"We need to find him, girls. We need to find Tate," Nora sighs, her eyes choking down on tears, god she's been such a mess. Nora is basically Tate's fraternity mother, she's always been there for him, I used to consistently question what their relationship consisted of before he met me, but I highly doubt they were anything more and a mother, child relationship. It makes me upset, knowing that Nora may have possibly lost her second child. I nod my head in agreement, there's nothing else I could do; going into more detail would make the situation worse, and arguing would be pointless, we both want the same thing, we all want the same thing from this meeting.  
"Vi- Honey," Hayden says as she grasps my arm. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm okay, just thinking and stuff."  
"Where have we searched again? I keep on misplacing the list of places we've searched, or they keep disappearing, one of the two," my mother explains, fiddling around with the artistic pen the previous owners had left behind. "So I'm going to start writing another list."  
"Basement, attic, upstairs closets, backyard shed," Hayden pauses, stating the places quicker than everyone expected. Now she was thinking.  
"Roof," I add, thinking about how ridiculous the choice was, why would Tate hide on the roof? Ghosts are weightless if they want to be, but that isn't the point. "We've searched the roof."  
"I do not expect my boy to hide with Thaddeus," Nora states. "Don't think he'd want to hide there. The same with the walls, Tate's claustrophobic."

"He is?" I ask. "He's never told me that."  
Tate has never told me he was claustrophobic, he's never really told about anything that he's afraid of, not to me anyway. Only thing, and he didn't even have to tell me. He was always afraid of losing me, I remember seeing the look on his face when he knew I was leaving him; heart-broken and full of pain, scared and full of regret. But I was still a bitch, I still left him, and I regret it so bad. If my mother could forgive him for what he did, and my father, I could have, but I didn't, and the reminder aches in my chest.  
"That's because he always wants to show a sense of bravery, compassion and that he was 'fearless'. Especially for you, Violet. He's ashamed of his lack of control. how he had suddenly gave in to his bad side, even if it wasn't his fault. He doesn't want to see us because he fears our judgement, he always has feared judgement, that's something that is Constance's fault, no-one else. But if you really want a 'Nora Brand' of honestly, I'll give it to you. As soon as he met you, Violet, as soon as he spoke a word to you and you spoke back, he came straight to me and told me. At that time, he didn't know he was dead, and, honestly, that was the first time I saw a sense of life inside of him, even when he was a child, he was always sad, and that changed when he came into your life... He loved you from the start, and if anyone can bring him back from this, it's you, it will always be you."  
"I certainly hope so," I agree, blushing at what the sweet mouth of Nora had just told me.

That's when the new game plan begins, we're up to Plan 'F', the final plan as my mother titled it. The thought of the house giving up on Tate upsets me, how could they? No, Nora won't let that- I, won't let that happen. He is family, he's everyone's family, sure, he's made some unappealing choices, he does have his issues, but unlike everyone else's issues, his are completely justified. He has voices in his head, a second self-branded inside of him, and only the devil would know what his nightmares are about. I've never thought about until now, but the more I think about it, D.I.D, Dissociative Identity Disorder, an aspect of the human mind that can consist of a sudden takeover. Tate, Tate, oh Tate. I've said it before, he's an amazing person, and amazing people don't just show up to their school and start shooting people for no reason, he's emotional, yeah that's clear, but there's something else to him. Maybe his alternate personality, is Taint? Maybe that's why he didn't remember what he did, nor how he did and dreamt about it? The thoughts are clearer the clearest of water, cleaner than the shiniest of diamonds, it makes all sense now. Now, that's just another reason to find him before it's too late.

"Vi, honey?" I hear my mother's voice say. "You okay?"  
"Yeah, mom, I'm fine."  
My eyes peer over at the window, noticing how the morning sun has disappeared.  
"What time is it, Hayden?" I ask her, watching her as she pulls out her mobile phone.  
"It is, eight o'clock," she smiles, her brown eyes staring at the background picture of her and Jeffrey, one my mother took for her.  
Eight?! Was I really day-dreaming for that long?! Day had suddenly turned to night in what felt like a matter of minutes of thinking. Did it really take me that long to be put the pieces of the puzzle together, or does time really tend to fly like a fucking jet when you're dead? So many questions in my head, no answers to them, it's irritating.  
"I dozed all day, I'm sorry," I say, pleading for my mother's forgiveness, I did set the meeting up.  
"It's okay, Violet," Nora smiles. "We've discussed the rest of the places he could be hiding, but they don't make sense."  
"No plan?" I sigh, looking down at my feet.  
"I'm sorry, honey," Hayden says, standing up and tottering out of Violet's bedroom door.

Nothing makes sense anymore. Are we really out of plans? Out of ideas? Out of excuses as to why we can't find Tate? I'm so enraged, but I'm going to hold it all in until Nora and my mom leave my room. If Tate was here, with me, I wouldn't feel like this, but he's not here, he's gone, lost. I've been searching for a darkness for the past two months, but it's not necessarily a bad darkness that I've been desperately looking for, it's an infatuation, a love deep inside of my heart and mind. He's my everything; my world, my universe, my darkness, and my prince. Tate Langdon, Tate Langdon, TATE FUCKING LANGDON! Have I got D.I.D? Am I absolutely losing my fucking mind?! Save me, Tate, I need you with me, I need your warmth, your love, I need you! So much anger and sadness, I didn't even notice Nora and my mom leaving my room.

I launch myself onto my bed, taken in the warmth that it gives me, but at the same time, rejecting it. It's not the warmth I want, it's not the warmth I need. I knew being dead would suck the big one, but not this bad, I knew it would hurt, but not this bad. Everything sucks, at this point anyway, nothing feels right, not without him.  
"Shit, Violet," I whisper to myself. "What the hell is wrong with you? Put yourself together."  
I pick up my pillow, placing it against my face as I scream like a cliché teenage girl. The sudden cry In my voice is unlike anything I've ever felt in my life, complete stupidity, complete and utter blasphemy. Where are you, Tate Langdon? The sudden feeling comes to me every now and again, it's so strange, it's like sometimes, I swear I can see him watching me.


	2. Hiding In The Sorrow

The darkness. It's swallowed my mind like a bullet swallows a part of the human body, crafting its own form, the form is the bullet hole caused by the power a simple man-made weapon. The darkness. The reason for my hiding in the sorrow, the pain I've felt for the past two months, the anger I've been self-inflicted upon. The darkness. It takes a nightmarish form, prowls in the streets of my mind, and it looks just like me, just, like, me. Nothing has felt the same since that night, I've heard about what I did, seems to be a topic nobody lets go. I apparently used kitchen knives to stick Patrick to the kitchen wall, broke Chad's neck, for the second time, and, the worst of all, I was trying to kill Violet. I mean, me? Me out of all people, was trying to kill Violet? No, it's the only thing I doubt, but still, the possibility of it is the reason why I continue to hide from everyone I know loves me, even Nora. Violet is all I think about, day in and day out, but I can't let her find me, that's why I've been throwing Vivian's lists into the fire, just to make sure that doesn't matter what they do, they won't find me.

Shame. The reason for my hiding, the reason why I don't let myself get close to people anymore. How could I show my face? While I'm still covered in these disgusting tattoos, the evil still branded onto the roof of my skin, I hate it, I hate all of it. I've tried to cut them off, yeah sounds painful, doesn't it? Holy fuck, I'm talking to myself, stop Tate. Using a rusted blade to try to cut off skin that will merely heal once again, it's pointless, and I don't know why, but I feel the need to continue to do so. Taint. The symbol of evil, the reason of, well, most of my evil deeds, there are two that I committed myself into doing; one was cutting the girl that was attempting to murder Violet nearly in half, and other, murdering the exterminator that found Violet's body. I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't risk Violet finding out that she was dead before I found the need to tell her, that would have just broken her heart earlier. The high school massacre, that's, something I don't entirely know about. I'm not going to blame Taint for every bad thing I've done, but, I don't what happened that day. Was it the drugs I was on? Was it because I'm simply a bad person? Or is it something else inside?

The sit in the dust and dirt of my newly found hideout, a place I know is away from anywhere anyone would ever look, not even Beau, or Thaddeus for that matter. It's been lonely here, the only company I have being the voice in my fucken' head, even then, knowing its intentions, I ignore it, most of the time. I tried writing in a journal, but that didn't work, tried cutting myself, and that didn't work. Violet would kill me if she ever found out I was punishing myself again, especially knowing that this time, has been a lot worse. There was one moment where I left the place I sit in today, but not with the best intentions. I took the TV from the basement, dragging it up the stairs and to the bathroom. I filled the bath, right to the top, and I climbed in, laying down in it. At the time, the only thing I could feel is my clothes becoming soaking wet, that's when I managed to drag the TV on top of me. Drowning. That's all I remembered, over and over again, dying, waking up and dying again. It was a vicious cycle for god knows how long, but there was one last thing that I remembered; thinking that "I deserve this, all of this". I wanted to suffer that day, or night, or whatever long I was in that bathtub but seems that, whoever took the TV off my chest, thought otherwise. I guess it was time to do what I normally do, check up on Vi.

I make sure that I can't be seen before making myself appear in Violet's room, and to no surprise, she was already fast asleep. She sleeps so beautifully, and I miss seeing that face every day, waking up to it and going to sleep to it. I miss her beauty, her laugh, her smile, even her smoking habits, and I hated when she smoked. I'm glad to see that she hasn't been cutting herself, Nora calls it a gift, but I can tell when people have been doing stuff like that, and Violet hasn't. But, I can tell that she's been crying herself to sleep every night for the past three weeks, not only because of the tears still connected to the corner of her cheek but for more sophisticated reasons. I take step towards her, wiping the tears from her cheek and onto my shirt, that's when I lose myself to how adorable she looks. Oh, Violet, how could I have ever let you go? One bad of me makes me want to wake her up and tell her that I'm sorry for leaving, but I can't not while I still have the tattoos on my skin. That's when I hear it, the sound of footsteps coming towards the door, and the doorknob turning. So much for showing myself, huh?

The door opens and its Vivien, standing next to Ben as they both observe their sleeping daughter.  
"She's finally asleep, and she looks peaceful," Vivien states. "I've never seen her like this in a long time."  
"No tears under her eyes, that's a good sign, Vivien," Ben comments.  
Yeah, that's what they think, but before they entered the room, I wiped the tears from her eyes. Do they think, she's, over me? Do they expect her to look past my presence, and find someone else? I don't know how Vivien and Ben Harmon's minds work, I prefer that I don't because it makes life less complicated than it has to. But Violet, she's suffering because of me, crying because of me. I'm causing her more pain, more pain than I already have, and it's unfair to her. I love Violet Harmon, there's no doubt about that, but I can't show myself, not until I can find the cure to this sickness, this corruption, this darkness. Some say the only way for a true evil to exist, is something was once seen as truly good. Is that the process I went through? Was a once an angel, that was tainted by darkness, and then became a devil?

"We have to find more ways to find Tate," Ben adds, surprising Vivien. "He's our only hope of making her happy."  
"Do you trust him?" Vivien asks.  
"To an extent," Ben answers.  
It doesn't surprise me, after everything I've done, Ben doesn't trust me one-hundred percent. I find it as a fair deal, not like a have a choice, I can't manipulate both of their feelings from bad to good, only from good to bad, that's easy. I watch them as they close the door, leaving Violet to her slumber, leaving just the two of us. She looks so peaceful, probably from exhaustion, but that's beside the point. She's an innocent butterfly, flying her wings all around the filthy horror-show the world is. When someone says that the world is full of evil, she's the exception, the only angel in the city of demons, like the Black Rose; beautiful and majestic, but still dead and traumatised. Sometimes, I wish she never fell in love with me, because then, I'd be a simple title; the boy who raped her mother, but of course, it's never that simple is it?

Before I let my feelings take over, I port away from the room, and outside, in the backyard. I appear against the fence, staring around the yard's still fresh over-look. I don't know how the ghosts of this place have kept this place so clean, so full of life, even though it's technically dead. The lawn is mowed, the gardens are sustained, and the gazebo where Hayden's corpse lies lays dusted and webbed. If I wasn't in this contemplative state of mind, I'd see it as paradise, but, for now, that isn't the case. That's when my eyes meet that one spot that always makes my skin crawl, that patch of dirt that I know makes my spine tingle, I hate that spot, the memories that exist with it, I hate it. The patch of dirt stares at me innocently, with the intentions of making me feel like shit, it works, it always works every time I find myself out in the backyard. I know that's the place where Violet's body lies, the place where I buried her decomposing body. I remember crying the entire time, because I knew that I failed to stop her from killing herself, as much I tried, I couldn't save her life from the horrors of Murder House, and I'll never forgive myself for that, for not saving her.

"You seem lonely."  
"Fuck off," I snarl at the voice in my head, as aggressively as I normally do. God, this voice, it doesn't know how to leave me alone, how to keep me from losing my shit and putting a bullet in my brain. In all honesty, it just makes me want to do it sooner.  
"Now, we both know that was rude. C'mon, Tate, at least buy me dinner first."  
"I'm not buying you anything, I'm going to get rid of you."  
"We both know, that's impossible. You're always going to be the pain in her heart, Tate, the weakness in her life. You raped her mother, killed all of those people, and for what, to win-"  
"The Noble War."  
"You see, we're both the same, we think the same. I can help you, help you make them suffer. I can help you win the war, it isn't over yet, you still have a chance to make a difference in this world."  
"No thanks, I'll pass on that proposal. I've already made a difference in this world; I broke hearts, ruined lives, and took them, that's enough change for one lifetime and afterlife-time. I'm not listening to you anymore, you can go fuck yourself."  
"Fine, but, listen to the song of the Noble War."

A whistling tune remains lingering in my head, like a mental-sickness. It echoes, over and over, the tune from my dreams, it itches in my mind, making me feel like killing more people. But that's what he wants me to do, he wants to make me kill more people, he wants me to ruin more lives, break more hearts, make more 'change'. The tune becomes louder, making it very difficult to block it out from my mind, and as usual, I'm having no luck with ignoring it. Fuck this, fuck everything, the cunt in my head wants me to burst brain cells, break bones, bleed to the point of being bled dry. I hate it, I hate it, It makes me wanna' lose my mind all over again, start the Noble War all over again. I wish Violet could save me, but she can't, I'm stuck in this situation, and it's beginning to swallow me. That's when I join the tune, whistling to it, Jesus Christ, he's got me in his grasp again, I'm tainted, all over again.


	3. Turning The Back On Love

I haven't been thinking straight, giving up on the simplest tasks, even considering cutting again. I promised Tate that I wouldn't, but he's not here. Is he ever coming back to me? Is he ever going to show his face to me again? I don't want to doubt, but it's difficult, especially at a time like this, nothing is making me feel better. I don't eat anymore, hardly sleep, besides Nora, I don't talk to anyone else, I've given up on a social life. Now it's just me, using YouTube whenever I can, watching the same old shit every day. My mother has tried to make me speak to my father, but of course, being the stubborn teenager that I am, I told her to piss off, in the meanest way anyone could ever say it. Last night's sleep was peaceful, probably the most peaceful I have ever slept in the two months, I don't know why, but it felt so good. I really miss Tate, I know that for a fucking fact. Because if I didn't, I don't why the hell I would be searching the basement for what I think is the fourth time, in a god damn row.

I stare at the familiarity, the now reaping sight I can't seem to leave behind. This was the place Tate hid the first time he didn't want to show his face to me, but that time, was my fault, I'm the one who cast him away that time. But this time, he's the one hiding, if he wanted to, he would have shown his face to me, but he hasn't. Maybe Nora is right, he's hiding out of shame, and worry. Does he think that we all hate him? Is he worried about the way everyone will react to his actions, the actions that were once again not in his control? So I must be crazy, but I feel a connection dragging me to this place, my true-love has to be nearby. If he isn't, am I losing my fucking mind?  
"Where are you, baby?" I say to myself.  
I stare at the thick concrete walls that surround the room, noticing the dry-looking blood latched onto them. I drag my fingers across the reddish crimson marks, but there's no red on my fingers, it must be dry, and it must be Tate's blood, it has to be. He's been doing it again, punching walls, obviously until his knuckles bled, but to what extent? This whole god damn place, Murder House, I think it's like a hotel for ghosts, and maybe to some, a form of hell. I miss Tate so much, and I can't imagine the things that he's had to deal with while being alone.

I remember the first time I met my Tate, and it happened to be at the worst time ever. I was slitting my wrist, watching the blood ooze from the wound I had created, and being the charming boy that he was, he decided to tell me which way to cut myself if I wanted to die, and to be honest, that made it clear that he had literally no idea as to how to speak to people. But the more I learnt about him, the more I knew why he didn't know how to talk to people, he was dead, and he literally had no idea that he was. Somehow, he knew that he loved me at first sight, and I loved him at first sight. There's was just something about him that drew me, it was a sort of charm that he had, the sort of sexy type of damaged type. The fact that he stopped me from having sex with him on our first date, showed that he was a sort of gentleman, he wanted to wait for the perfect moment, we were both virgins and he wanted it to be special, and he made sure that it was special. That was a year and a bit ago, now we're both broken, dead, both inside and out. The only thing that made us both feel alive was the love we had for each other, but now, we're waiting it out until we get to feel each other's love once again.

I can't remember the last time I brushed his cheeks, saw his dimples, smelt his hair, and it makes me upset. I miss his everything; his protectiveness, his smile, even his anger issues, I'd see literally anything at this point, anything that belongs to him. His chocolate eyes always have a way of piercing straight through me, his body always has a way of making me horny, his smile always has a way to making my spine tingle from within, and that's something I don't think I've experienced in my entire life.  
"Tate, if you can hear me, I love you so much!"  
Tate Langdon, the angel with no soul, the devil with angelic wings, the saint with a taint of the devil inside of him. He tries to fight his darkness, but his darkness always has a way of consuming him from within, making him lose his control, and his beautiful ways. If I was, to be honest, I swear to god, that sometimes, I can feel his eyes staring at me, from the abyss of the shadows.

There she is, my love, my everything, staring around the basement, looking for a poor soul like me. I'm trying extremely hard not to reveal myself, not to fall back into Violet's sweet, beautiful arms. If I show myself, there's no going back from it, no way of escaping her love, which is something I wouldn't mind, if I wasn't a threat to most of the people in Murder House. She really is an angel that one cannot truly compete against, she's a code that nobody can decipher, a beauty one cannot truly describe, nobody but me. I know her more than anyone else in this world, let alone this house. She's told me her secrets, her favourite things, her fears, everything that she could think of. There are few things that I don't know about her, but the worst part is, there are a few things she doesn't know about me.

Our romance, our relationship, could only be described as a taboo, between good and evil, angel and devil. I'm not sure if Violet's parents like me anymore, they're a puzzle with missing pieces, therefore, hard to put together. The only Harmon I seem to know well, is her, nobody else. God, I miss her, I miss Nora, I miss everyone that stays above the basement floors, but I can't show my face, I won't let myself. As much as I want to leap back into the society of ghosts that exist here, I can't, not while Taint diseases the inside of my mind, until I get rid of that disease, I'm a danger to anyone, even myself in some shape or form. My mind commences itself in the definition of contemplation. What do I do next? What is my next action? Should I wimp and cry back to the whole I came from? Or do I try and make peace with the people I have tortured from the inside out? And that means everyone.

I think hard about this, so hard that I begin to ache inside. My next choice could shape a different future, one full of happiness and joy, or one full of pain and suffering. While I have this thing possessed in my head, the thing that can take control of my entire body, I'm a danger. I'm a menace, a creature that lurks, waiting until it's ready to strike its next victim, and I will not let myself become that creature one-hundred percent, anything more than forty-five, and I'm letting him win, I'm letting Taint be the controller, and me, the controlled. I'm not a fucking puppet, I'm a god damn fighter, I've killed before for fuck sake, said things that even the devil would go "dude". I'm a beast, but not completely evil, I'm a necessity, a special type of evil that the world needs, I'm a-  
"Monster."  
"No, I'm not a monster."  
"You even said so yourself, you miss Violet, go to her! Be her prince, her love, her fucking soul-mate."  
"I will not be her downfall, and neither will you."  
"YOU WON'T HAVE A CHOICE, TATE!"  
"Oh yes, I do!"  
I turn my back on love, not because I don't want it, but because he does. He wants me to hurt her, wants me to cause more and more pain, but I will not be manipulated into hurting the people I love most. Please forgive me, Violet, but I need you to be safe. I'm sorry, my love, but I'd rather I suffer than you do.


	4. The Unexpected

I crawl back through the depths of the cement and wood, making my way back to my spot. I've never crawled so silently in my entire life, besides maybe one, or two scenarios; hiding away from either school or the cocksucker. I hated school more than anything in my entire life, even more than myself, as hard as that is for myself to believe. I hid away from the simplest of tasks, couldn't really speak to any girls, and I found myself in an intense amount of conflicts with jocks and other students, won most of them. I don't remember much from most of them, only the aftermaths, which normally consisted of blood being on both my fists and the faces of the people I got into fights with. Everyone at my school saw me as not as a someone, but as a something that existed in the school only to cause pain. It didn't bother me, life at home was hard, so why would school be any god damn different? Not surprised that life only became worse, I lost Beau, and Nora told me that Larry had smothered him in his sleep, and my mother somehow knew, that I knew. Then, I lost my mind, killed fifteen people, then, later in the afterlife, another four people. Maybe I was always a bad person, maybe it wasn't just about bad choices, maybe I'm unable to make my own decisions, and maybe that's why Taint was formed in my head; to make my decisions, for me.

I finally find my way to my spot, still as quiet as I can possibly be. Silence, is the most important key when travelling to the place I've been staying, just to make sure nobody can hear me, because, the other literally stay metres above me. I tried staying in the basement, but it was a matter of time before Vi and Nora began looking for me, sure, she didn't find me there last time, but the connection we still have, she could have easily found me. The condition I'm still in, the Taint-like marks still grasped onto my snow white skin, I could not reveal myself. Now, I'm in my own little spot, a spot I know nobody will find me, well, I hope so anyway. This specific area of the house seems to be more peaceful than the rest of the areas of the house. Only two deaths have occurred here, one that I don't really remember, the other I can't ever forget. Peace, that's all I've been seeking for the past two months, but will absolutely no luck. There's only one way to grasp peace; Taint's extinction, his demise, his death. But how do I kill something that is inside of my head? How do I defeat myself? I wish I knew, It's not like I can make myself disappear every time I lose my mind, that's not the way to solve my problems, it would only create more problems for myself.

My hand finds its way to a specific spot that I hate so much, every time I see it, I feel sick to my stomach. I don't know why I did what I did, would've been less painful if I didn't do what I did, but it seemed right at the same time. Violet, she didn't need to know what once laid here, she didn't need to know the truth, but after she freaked out when I said we should overdose together, she had to know the truth. We crawled through the same crawl space, managed to find the spot I hid her body, the spot I would hide in the not so far future. So, yes, I've been hiding here, in a spot everyone would least expect me to hide in, I thought it was genius at the time, but that was before I knew I was going to be stuck here for months. The spot I've been staying at, it's like an uncomfortable place of absolute banishment, one that manages to deprive you of sleep and peace. Violet's body rotted away before I finally found the balls to bury it, one day I'll tell Violet where her body lies, and that I was the one who buried her, but until then, it will be my little secret.

"Your secret?" Taint speaks in my mind. "You mean our secret!"  
"No, I meant my secret."  
"Oh, please. Tate, you're a walking time-bomb, you'll tell her sooner than expected."  
"NO! I WON'T!"  
"Shhh, be quiet, they will hear you."  
"You don't control me anymore, you cunt!"  
"Oooh, hate words, huh? I will always control you, Tate, as long as you have those tattoos on your skin, you are mine."  
"Go away, Taint."  
And like that, he's gone? Has it really been that easy? THE ENTIRE TIME?! No, I won't let myself think that he could be trying to trick me, I won't let him trick me into thinking that I am free once again. Like he said, for as long as I have these tattoos on my god damn skin, I will never be free of the demonic voice in my head, in my body, and in my soul.

I turn my head, facing the beautiful black rose that I was going to give to Violet as a gift. Murder House, as disgustingly vile as the location is, there are some beautiful aspects that lie from within it, like the fact that flowers do not die while in the presence of the house. Murder House, as evil, as it is, as murderous as it is, it is also in the form of a sediment; a sediment of beauty. That's why the flower I stare at would have been the perfect gift, because she could cherish it, literally forever if she wanted to. It would have no ill effects, it wouldn't even come remotely close to ageing or decomposing, and its beauty wouldn't change at all. I view the black rose as the same as Violet; beautiful, sweet and rare, but also melancholic. Violet Harmon is an angel that lived a short and cruel life, full of sadness and self-harm. Her life was unfair, a bit like mine, but she hasn't made the mistakes I have, she's more innocent than I am, and she always will be.  
"Violet," I whisper to myself, hoping that she will hear me. "I'm so sorry that I left you, I was cruel and mistaken. I feel bad for everything I've done, and I'm sorry that I had to leave you, but I wouldn't allow myself to hurt you and your family, not again. If you can hear me, tell Nora that I love her dearly and that I will be seeing her as soon as possible.

The silence is creaking in the darkness of the crawl space, but something isn't right. The sound of crawling and dragging sounds in the distance of the crawl space, and my heart begins to beat quicker and quicker as the sound becomes louder and louder. I stare past the locks of my hair that cover my eyes, placing the flower back in its pot more silent than I was when I found my way here. My breathing becomes heavy and I begin to sweat as I become nervous, I hate this feeling, it's like I'm having a panic attack again. I need a smoke, of anything; cigarette or pot, I don't care. Right now, I would take morphine just to calm myself down, or cocaine or anything to be honest. The crawling seems to be metres away now, I'm starting to become completely sick to my stomach, so bad that I grip my stomach and groan loudly, fuck, my nerves. This is it, someone has found me, and I can't escape the fact that I'm going to have to explain why I'm here.


	5. Family Troubles, Broken Hearts

I've gotten both my mom and dad together for a discussion, one a know won't end with smiles and happiness, instead, angst and most likely a tint of anger. It's been a while since I've spoken to my father, there have been a few moments, mostly discussing the places he's looked for Tate, and believe me, there's a really fucking tiny list. My mom has spent days and days looking for Tate with me, but I don't know if it's only because she feels bad for me, or if she really does want to find him. That's why I've organised this little chat, just so I can clearly confirm where each of my parents stands in this situation, puts less stress on me. This so-called 'relationship' I have with my father, it's dysfunctional, broken, and in a way, hateful. I can stand him at times, haven't been able to since he cheated on mom, but that was a long time ago, so there are obviously other things that bother me, I just need to point out the qualities that really piss me off, but later, for now, the questions I have is far more important in the situation.

I stare at both of my parents, noticing how nervous they look, I don't know why, I've never been scary, right? Jeffrey stays laying in my mother's arms, smiling happily as he stares right at his father, sometimes, I wish I could smile the way my baby brother does. I'm going to keep myself from losing my temper, just because Jeffrey is in the room, maybe that's why my mother brought him in the room, so I wouldn't yell. The one thing about Jeffrey that weirds me out, is the fact that he's changed from a newborn to a toddler, but hasn't aged since then. Murder House, you are one confusing place.  
"Alright, this is going to be as quick as possible. All I want to ask you guys is this; do you both really want to find Tate? Because, I'm not going to stop looking for him, not until I find-"  
"Of course, baby!" my mother sparks, her sweet eyes staring right at me.  
My mother always had a way with being sweet and easy to love, she was always the strong one in the family, and after everything that has happened to her over the past year and a half, it surprises me that her strength hasn't changed one bit. But one thing that also caught my attention, is the fact that my father hasn't even thought about answering my question, talk about reluctance.  
"Dad?" I snarl. "Going to answer the question?"

"He could still be just as dangerous as he was when he disappeared."  
"He didn't disappear, dad," I roll my eyes. "You forced him to leave."  
"Thank you for that factual account, Vi, but I made the right decision. I wasn't going to let him hurt more people, you saw what he did to Patrick and Chad-"  
"That wasn't him," my mother says, defending Tate as she should. "If Violet is right about him having a split personality, it was his second self."  
"Still, he was a danger, and ghosts may not be able to die, they can feel some form of pain, and who knows what sort of pain he could have made all of us feel. I'm just saying, he could have done worse than pin someone to a wall with knives."  
I can't believe him, after sending Tate away, he hasn't got the balls to try and make up for that mistake, even though he claims it isn't a mistake. Classic Ben Harmon, I wish it was Halloween, so then I could just leave the house and do whatever I want, too bad it's not. I can't handle it anymore, I'm going to lose it.  
"Just, fuck off, dad!"

Everyone in the room goes silent, even me, which is normal, I didn't expect to say that, and I already knew it was a mistake. But I'm just mad, I miss Tate, and the fact that my dad won't help me find him pisses me off right to the core.  
"Viv, take Jeffrey outside, please. I need to speak to our daughter, in private."  
"Don't you dare do anything drastic, Ben," my mom snarls, rolling her eyes, just like the way I do.  
"I won't."  
I watch my mom and brother as they both leave the room, Jeffrey staring right into my eyes, smiling. He's so innocent, he has no idea that he's dead, and he'll never know, which is good in some form, easier on my parents and myself, and of course, Jeffrey himself. He doesn't need to know, he'll just live the way he does forever. The idea of being a child forever, always being innocent, isn't the worst idea I've ever heard, in fact, this whole fucking plan has been the worst idea I've ever come up with.  
"Now, listen here, Vi. It wasn't my idea to send Tate away when he went off the rails, okay?! It was his."  
"What? What does that mean?" I ask, feeling extremely confused.  
"Tate was the one who came up with the idea of sending him away if he was to ever become a danger to you or anyone else. He called it 'Plan Z' and made me promise that I'd do anything to protect you, even from himself if I had to. Our final session, he called the plan the final countdown and gave me simple instructions, and I listened clearly. The way he spoke, it was like he was possessed, serious right to the core, just like our first ever appointment. He's never been a bad kid, in fact, if anyone could make you happy, I know for an absolute fucking fact, he would be the one for you. I'm sorry, Vi, really, I am. But I made him a promise I intended to keep, and I'm worried that he could still be the same Tate I sent away two months ago, I'm so-"  
"Go away, Ben."

Just like that, he was gone. Even with his explanation, I'm still pissed off at him, he's the reason Tate is gone, Tate's the Tate is gone, I don't know who to blame anymore. Why Tate? Why did you make my dad promise that? I could have saved you in my own way, I could have helped you, all you had to do is let me.

I remain tightly strapped to the corner of my spot, questioning who or what could be crawling through the crawl space. There are a few possibilities; Beau, Thaddeus, maybe even Violet, probably not, but one can dream. If she was to show up, right here, right now, she could save me from this hell, and Violet being herself, she wouldn't give me a choice as to where I want to go anyway, she'd force me to come with her. God, I miss her, I've never felt love for anyone like the love I have for her, sure, I'm dead, but my love isn't. That's when I begin to worry. What if the person in the crawl space is someone who hates me? Wants me to suffer even more than I already have? Ben? He hates me right? Patrick and or Chad? After what I unintentionally did to them two months ago, I doubt there's a chance of them not hating me. I grip the chain in my spot, prepared for the absolute worst, if it is Thaddeus, I need him to know that he's not welcome here, ever. That's when I begin to see golden curly locks and a dress strap of a dress begin to appear from the corner of the crawl space. I gotta' say, I didn't expect this.

"This Godforsaken dust and creepy closed in spaces, both things give me severe sicknesses," Nora jokes, crawling out of the space and straight into the area of my spot. "Hello, handsome."  
I've never seen Nora so happy to see me. Normally when I saw her, she was always crying, asking for the location of Thaddeus, but she must've worked on the control of her emotions because now, her smile is the only thing that is highlighted. I'm overwhelmed by her mere surprising presence.  
"Hey, mom."  
Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Did I just say that?! Idiot! That's not how I start the first conversation with Nora in two months! Jesus, Tate, you're a dickhead.  
"So, this is where you've been veiling yourself? I wouldn't call it the worst choice, but certainly, not the finest."  
"Yeah, I guess," I say, clueless as to what to say while trying to hide the markings on my skin. "Ho-How did you know I was here?"  
"Oh, me? I've been carefully watching you, you silly boy," Nora winks. "You should really be more focused on your-"

Nora begins to move closer to me, staring at the dark tattoo like markings I obviously failed at hiding. Her eyes say it all; she's remotely curious about them, fascinated in a mother-like way.  
"What is it, Nora?" I ask.  
"I heard the others talking about the tattoos that randomly appear on you, but I've never placed my eyes on them. It's just, so surreal. How long have they been on your skin?"  
"They haven't left," I state, watching her fingers drag along the bone like markings on my hands. "Not since Ben forced me to leave."  
"Why haven't you come back to us, Tate? Violet misses you, and she's been desperate to find you for months." Nora asks. "Is it the shame of knowing the things you've done?"  
"Fear. I'm afraid of what people may think of me, I'm dysfunctional, and it's obvious to see. I have a list of problems, problems I have no idea how to deal with, crazy problems if not anything. I've killed people, I'm a danger, and until I find a way to skin Taint's voice out of my head, I will remain a danger. I can't be a risk to Violet's safety, I won't allow it."  
"I'm sorry, Tate, but I'm going to have to tell her you're here," Nora states, angering me slightly.  
"We'll see."


	6. Social Issues

I sit quietly in my room with my laptop, scrolling through Facebook. I don't know what's gotten over me, I swore to myself that I wouldn't ever come back to this, but boredom led to it all. No doubt, most people think someone has hacked my account, they all think I'm still 'running away' with my younger brother. That was a year and eight months ago, I think so anyway, you lose track when you're dead. I stare at the many different websites, all titled with 'Help Find Violet Harmon', surprised by the number of people that are still trying to find me across the country, too bad they're looking in the wrongs places. Hell, Leah, my frenemy, is looking for me, and she hated me, with an absolute passion. Even if they were to find my body, they would still look for Jeffrey, but they would give up eventually, that's the thing about authorities, they always give up at some point. That's when I begin to look up Tate, just to see if he had an account right before he died, but that's when it hits me, he died in Nineteen-Ninety-Four, Facebook didn't exist until Two-Thousand-And-Four. But something does appear, something I should have expected.

A Facebook page, with a disgusting title, stares at me innocently, right in my eyes. 'Tate Langdon, The Monster Who Massacred Westfield High In 1994', the title makes me feel sick, both in the heart and the stomach. Tate isn't a monster, what he did wasn't right, and I treated him like absolute shit for the things he has done. But after learning the truth about him, the life he had to live, the things he had to deal with, the fact that he has a split personality that makes him do things he doesn't remember doing, you can see the justification of his actions. His life, has been full of death since the beginning; Moira told me Constance murdered both her and Tate's father, who he hardly knew at all, Larry mercilessly murdered sweet and beautiful Beau, the loss of Tate's innocent brother must've driven him to the point of that day, and Adelaide, she accidentally killed herself in the car accident, which is something that I'm sure completely destroyed Tate. All three of those deaths, he doesn't speak about them, ever. In fact, unless he's at the point of another heartbreak, he doesn't speak about any deaths that have occurred in his life, not even the deaths he caused. The thing about Tate Langdon is, he's always been broken, always tortured by his mother from a young age, the drug abuse, his entire life has been a freak show. And this Facebook page, exploits the truth, and moulds Tate's soft personality into what is depicted as a devil, a merciless killer, when all along, he was suffering, Taint, was the one in control.

The anger begins to sink in, and I begin to enter the message side of the Facebook page, and I begin to type, type like I never have before in my entire life. The hate in my writing is consuming, I can't stop myself from writing the nastiest words, the angriest sentences, and eventually, the cruellest paragraphs. I'm enraged, to the point of nearly crushing the whole laptop with my ghostly strength, and breaking my teeth as they grind together aggressively. That's when I look at the message, admiring how creative my, naughty, language can be, I've never used curse words I way I did in those paragraphs, but that's when I begin to have a long and hard think about what may happen if I decide to send this message. I'm dead, well, I'm classified as missing, and if a missing seventeen-year-old girl sends a very aggressive message to a page about a boy who killed students in Nineteen-Ninety-Four. It makes no sense, and better yet, if they track the message back here, sure, they won't find me, but they will find all the nice stuff we've had delivered here last Halloween. I back away from the laptop, turning it off in a second and slamming the screen down, any harder, and the screen would have smashed to a thousand pieces. Thank god I just did what I did, because permanently deleting the message I almost sent, felt like less weight was being put on my shoulders.

"Violet," a soft voice says from behind the door, almost whispering.  
Is that Tate?! No way, it can't be, can it? I fling myself off of my bed and head straight towards the door, nearly falling over the mess Jeffrey made when he was playing in here. I stop at the door, wondering if I'm just hallucinating, but I can't be, I heard it quite clearly. Please be Tate, please be Tate, please be Tate, please be fucking Tate. I open the door, seeing nothing, nothing at all, already feeling the amount of disappointment literally draining from my eyes. I turn the corner, seeing it, not what I want, but certainly something interesting. The attic entrance is swung down, allowing the perfect entrance, but who opened it? Is this some joke Patrick might be committing himself to, he certainly has a terrible sense of humour. But curiosity gets the best of me, and I slowly walk towards the unknown, wondering who or what could be the one hiding in the darkness, waiting for me. And the same thought does not leave my mind, not even in the slightest, please be Tate, please be my Tate.

I come across the direct entrance to the attic, and stare up into the shadowy abyss, wondering if Tate could be staring back at me. As scary as that sounds, I'm comfortable with it, because it's him, and I know he won't hurt me, Tate Langdon would never lay a hand on me. I take the first step up, noticing the chills down my spine, but I keep going, no matter what, if it is Tate, I need to see him. I rush up the attic steps, turning on the torch on my phone, lighting up the claustrophobic attic to its former glory. But something about this clearly isn't right, and that is; no Beau. People have claimed that he hasn't been seen in a long time since my dad told Tate to leave, Beau has ceased to exist. I wonder what happened to him, but I have a feeling Tate knows if only I could actually ask him. My whole body finally reaches the attic, and I feel like all of my energy has been wasted, because suddenly, it's silent; no Tate, no sign of the voice, nothing. The truth really does hurt, the fact that I have been the hallucinating the whole time, makes me collapse to the ground, in an uncomfortable amount of tears. I haven't cried like this before, even through all of the heartbreak, this feels different, like my heart was literally torn out of my god damn chest. Tears flow out of me like a river, which feels like the worst thing in this world. That's when my thoughts are broken by the sound of something moving in the darkness, which makes me nearly jump out of my skin.

I shine my torch over at a certain corner of the attic, but there's nothing, that's when the notice the attic window and the amount of moonlight that begins to shine through it. In a flash, its there, he's there, not who I expected, and definitely not who I wanted to be in my presence on this very night. Thaddeus, the Infantata, sits perched in the moonlight from the window, gnarling and snarling like a rabid animal. I try to shine my phone torch on him, but the battery runs out, making me want to scream, I haven't been this close to the Infantata since Leah's traumatic experience with it, and I never planned on doing that again. But here he, or it is, staring right into my god damn eyes, licking its very dry-looking lips, which gives me the idea that it hasn't fed in a long time. Ghosts can't die, but we can still bleed, so, I'm guessing, he wants me to be his next meal. It begins scattering around, directly at me, like a dog with no leash. I scream as loud as I can, using my legs to kick him to the ground, trying to scurry to the attic exit, but that's when I feel the cold claws jag into my leg. Tears flow down my eyes again, knowing that fear is only the first stage of what's about to happen, I'm about to be feasted on by Thaddeus, and nobody can help me.


	7. A Ghostly Return

What should I do? How do I deal with the loneliness? Scurrying in the hole of Murder House like a god damn rat, it's unnatural, it's not what I should be doing with my life. Why is it that every single chance I get to be with Violet once again, I always turn my back, and then I feel sorry for myself like it wasn't in my control the entire time. Should I reveal myself to her? Should I tell her everything that has happened since I left, all the things I have done, and the number of times I've had to fight Taint from corrupting me all over again? That I tried to forcefully skin the tattoos from my skin? That I broke my hand, my jaw and my leg when I tried to jump off the roof? That, I tried, to drown myself? She'd either hate me or never let me go. I don't have the guts to tell her how sorry I am, how sorry I am for not only hiding away from her like a coward but for watching as she slowly tore herself apart like everything has been her fault.

Fear, is the eternal depth of never-ending mistakes, the taste of blood on the tongue when you're about to make the worst decision in your entire life. The Noble War; the impediment of lies and mistakes, filled with murder, fear and never-ending blood-lust, only then coated by the effects of cocaine and gasoline. There's always an angel of death in a war, one that has the most effects on the battle, an angel that either frees or ends. There's no in between, there has never been, never will be. I am their angel of death, I'm the one who tried to free them in a place clean and kind, but instead, I simply sent them into a different world, full of pain and suffering, just like Violet said that one time. The Noble War ended in nothing but blood, mine, and others, the moment I realised my dreams weren't dreams, but memories, my eyes were opened on who I really am, and better, what I made myself. Tate Langdon, the monster who massacred Westfield High, that's the title I will never live down, not in this afterlife, not in my next life, in fact, I'll probably judge who I was if I have the next life.

"Hello, Tate."  
"What do you want? What do you want for me?!"  
"I want out, I want to have my own body."  
"That's impossible, you're just a voice in my head."  
"You can think whatever you want, Tate, but I know the truth."  
"What truth? What are you talking about?"  
"You created me, out of your sickness."  
"What?! What does that mean?!"  
"You'll know, I'm due time."  
"Tell me, you son of a bitch!"

Taint just laughs in my face as he goes completely silent once again, as much as I hate his voice, I still want answers.  
"HELP ME!"  
The voice, the scream, the familiarity, the sweetness covered in sudden fear, it has to be Violet. The place the voice is coming from says it all, the attic, the Infantata's new hideout, nest, whatever it's called. Violet's gone exploring and has fallen right into its trap, I can feel her fear, even taste it, but I'm going to stop all of it, she will not get hurt.  
"I'm coming, Violet!"  
I force myself to appear right in the shadows of the attic, and what I see next makes my skin crawl. Violet tries to fight Thaddeus away, but with no success; he has her by the legs, using his claws to grip her violently. I can see blood, he's hurt her, managed to scratch her on the leg, wrist and neck, and that's enough to drive me over the edge. I'm about to let the beast out for real, but this time, I'm going to be the one in absolute control, well, kinda.

I leap at Thaddeus like an animal, more animal than even him, which makes even me surprised. I throw him across the room like he's nothing, watching him ragdoll back to his feet. The one thing that I notice, is the fact that he's somehow shrunk, he's smaller, skinnier and far more vicious than before. He snarls at me, obviously unknown as to who I am, he normally fears me, and I'm about to make him all over again. He leaps at me, managing to land directly on my back, then sinking his teeth into my shoulder blade. I feel the blood drain from my shoulder, which angers me more, making me pull him off of my back, and bite him on the arm, breaking his wrist. He claws me on the chest, and I stare at Violet, watching her huddle into a corner in fear when she could just easily escape. I stare so long I don't even feel the pain of his scratches like she's numbing me of the pain, but not the anger, the feeling of his claws tearing against my skin is still there, but not with the same effect.

I roar like a beast, gripping Thaddeus head and squeezing as hard as I can, but with no effect. Thaddeus bites the palm of my hand, making me drop him at a sudden moment. He begins to run towards Violet, which makes me fume with more and more rage, even to the point of gripping and breaking his leg, pulling him towards me, and pelting him into a wall.  
"Tate?" Violet softly cries out. She knows, doesn't she? She has to know it's me. I ignore her voice, for now. The way she stares at me though; thankful, but still spooked, I have to stop this now.  
Thaddeus manages to get to his feet, clearly concussed from the impact against the wall, but he still wants to fight, and I'm getting sick of fighting. He launches at me again, allowing me to easily catch him up the head, and begin to squeeze once again. I squeeze tighter this time, even screaming at the feeling of the strength in my hands. I feel his neck snap in an instant, and his head begins to concave inwards, so I stop, he's dead. The fight is over.

I drop his body onto the ground, then look over at the still terrified Violet. Violet begins to crawl, almost falling down the steps of the attic, and in a flash moment, I appear and catch her by the hand. She begins to panic, clearly unsure as to what to do, I need to calm her down.  
"Still not used to being a ghost, huh?" I say, staring directly into her hazel eyes. "Neither."  
"Tate?" Violet softly says like she can't believe her eyes. "Is it you?"  
"Will you be disappointed, or slap me in the face, if I say no?" I ask her, smiling for the first time in months.  
"No, and yes," she states, her voice as soft as it was when I left.  
"It's me."  
She slaps me in the face, as hard as she can, but then, she hugs me, digging her head right into my still bloody shoulder as she touches for the first time in months. It feels good, so good I feel like I'm about to cry, like my broken heart, was just fixed in a matter of seconds. Violet Harmon, why the fuck did I wait this long to come back to you?

"Where have you been, baby?" Violet cries out, sobbing as I try my hardest to wipe the tears away. "I've been so worried about you."  
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Violet," I say, feeling tears shed behind the locks of my hair. "I couldn't be a danger to you again, I just, I couldn't. I love you so much, but I'm not well, not myself, I'm so sorry."  
"I love you so much, come back to me, please."  
"I don't know, Vi-"  
"Tate. Please."  
"Let's go then before Thaddeus wakes up."  
"Thank you, my love."


	8. Tainted Markings

I drag the still exhausted Tate into my room, shutting the door behind us as quick as possible. I sit him on the bed, and grab a rag, using it to wipe any of the blood from his face, body and anywhere else Thaddeus managed to hurt him. I turn on the light, starring at his fists, wrists, anywhere he could have hurt himself, but of course, that makes no sense, if he was hurting himself, I wouldn't know by now, he would already be healed. The only obvious marks is Thaddeus' blood, and the bruises on his hands, but then, the markings catch my attention. The web-like markings on his hands, his dark nails, it's beautiful, like a necessary evil. I stare up at Tate, noticing the skeleton markings on his neck, and how surreal it looks, so surreal. I slowly follow my eyes straight to his, enjoying the sight of his dark eyes, and his luscious skeleton lips. I can feel myself blushing at the sight of his lips, admiring the dark angelic look of my lost lover, and the form Taint had made the new Tate into; an angel with an obvious and absolute dark soul. He's like the Mad Hatter from Wonderland, he looks mad but in complete control, he seems depressed but somehow managing to hold his emotions together.

"So surreal," I say, forgetting that Tate is in the room.  
"Scary, huh? Not only am I dead now, but look at me-"  
"You're beautiful, I can't describe how beautiful you are, Tate."  
"But I'm a monster, you saw what I did," Tate pauses, a tear rolling down his cheek. "You saw the way I was two months ago, I tried to hurt you, kill you even. I can't do that again, Vi, I just can't."  
"Then you won't, you're the one in control, remember that," I tell him, a little snappy. "Doesn't matter how long, worst comes to worst, we'll have to come up with another plan, one that doesn't involve you leaving again, you understand?"  
"Yes, Vi, I do."  
"Good."

The tattoos, they appear to be battle scars from some form of a nightmare, the nightmare of what Tate has mentioned in his sleep, the Noble War. My father explained to me that the Noble War was the day he shot up his school, and that explained that in one of his psychologist sessions. I wouldn't be able to understand what he sees in his dreams, and something inside of me doesn't really want to know. Tate has had a dysfunctional life, that's clearer than the clearest of skies, and better yet, he's managed to find a way through it all, through the sadness, through the anger, and at times, through the pain. He's damaged, but not broken, not anymore, I'm here to help him, but first, I have to find out how far the essence of Taint's evil goes. I place my fingers along Tate's lips, feeling how soft they are, and realising how much I've missed them. I lean in, placing my lips on his, tasting his lips once again, and now I know, what perfection feels like.

"Stop," Tate says, grabbing my wrist, tightly. "Please."  
"Tate," I say. "You're hurting me."  
He lets go of my wrist quickly, turning his head away from me in what seems like disgust. He appears to have snapped out of another trance, a possible encounter with his second self, but that doesn't terrify me in any way. He tries to take himself from the bed, but I grip his shirt and rip him back onto the bed.  
"I'm sorry, Vi, I didn't mean to-"  
"Take your shirt off."  
"What?" Tate asks.  
"Take off your shirt."  
He slowly takes off his shirt, revealing the marks on his pale skin and how far Taint's evil has really gone. He appears demonic but is really as soft as an angel, and the love that comes with the angelic tone of his skin is piercing. I stare at him with love, discovering how much I've missed his love, and how selfish I've been. How cruel do I have to be, to make him suffer? How selfish did I have to be, to let him be alone? Oh, Tate, please forgive me.

"I'm sorry, Vi. I'm not going anywhere, I swear to you."  
"I believe you, Tate."  
I stare into Tate's eyes, watching him as he licks his lips, biting it until it bleeds. I lunge at him, kissing him very aggressively, pushing him onto the bed. I tear my own shirt off, revealing my black lacy bra as I sit on Tate's lap. He smiles, showing me that even through the markings, there is happiness. He leans up, kissing my breasts and pushing back onto the bed.  
"Vi, before we do anything, I just need to tell you something," he leans back up, holding me down playfully. "I'm going to have to find a way to release me from Taint's grasp, and I don't want to be a threat, so I think I'm going to have to do it-"  
"You're not doing it alone, I won't let you, my family won't let you. We're going to fight this, together."  
"Yes, ma'am," Tate agrees, leaning down and kissing me again, but this time on my neck. "I love you, Vi."  
"I love you too, Tate Langdon."

I feel him creep on the edge of my neck, and I wonder to myself, why I ever decided to let him go. Taint inside of him or not, I'm going to save him, save his soul the best way I possibly can. I owe Tate, more than I've ever owed to anyone in my entire life, I did this to him, and now, I'm going to have to be the one to save him from it, from himself, and the voices that hide inside of his head. As I purr like a kitten at his touch, I wonder, if this all began due to Constance's lack of care as a mother, how bad she treated Tate just because he was the "purest" of her children. Tate's tongue distracts me from the thoughts, cutting me from the fog my train of thought is going through, God loves him. I feel his hot breath on my lips, and that's when I know I'm going to lose it soon, lose control, just like the first time. I swear at the feeling of his hardness, and I finally begin to let go. I unzip my jeans...


	9. Another Session

Why am I here? Another session? Another reason to be scared to lose it all, no no no, Violet said I should speak to someone, so I'm going to speak to the only Therapist who has ever lived and died in Murder House; Ben. I sit in the comfort of his really fucking expensive chair, admiring how clean and tidy he's managed to keep the office, especially with the state the house is in. I'm surprised the house is still standing, with how old it is, and with its history of violence and death, I really am surprised it hasn't been destroyed by a demolition crew. So many spirits remain here, most of them I care about, and if the house goes, we go with it, who knows where we'll be going or better yet, what happens if the house goes, all I know is something has to happen to us, to all of us. I wonder how this session is going to go, what Ben will say, and how he will react to my return. He still thinks I'm a danger, Violet explained that to me, I mean, I don't blame for thinking that, after what I did to Patrick and Chad when I lost it, I'd probably still be worried too. I stare at a photo of the Harmons; Vivien on the right, Ben in the middle and Violet at the end. They look so happy, and by the look of the photo, they only just moved to Murder House, which makes me wonder what their lives would be like if they didn't live here. I probably wouldn't have met Violet, but then again, she'd be alive, and probably would have met someone better, better than I could ever be.

My thoughts are broken when I hear someone enter the room, and by the look of the large figure, it's Ben. He's holding papers, which surprises me seeing he doesn't exactly need to work anymore, but I don't think about it too much. That's when his eyes meet mine, in a panic like look.  
"Tate? Is that y- I mean, is it really you?" Ben asks.  
I know what he means now, is it me, and not Taint. I simply nod my head, indicating that he can trust me, for now anyway.  
"Have you seen Violet? If you haven't we'll hold this until la-"  
"Don't worry, Ben," I say, interrupting him. "She was my top priority, I saw her last night."  
"So, you're back then? What are doing here?" he jokes. "In my chair."  
"I need to talk to someone, get some things off of my chest, you understand, right?" I ask.  
"Yes, if you would like to, we can begin in a few minutes."  
"Sure," I agree.

He begins to set up his office in a session like a matter, papers and all, he doesn't seem to care that I'm still in his chair. I go to get up, but he stops me, smiling in a way that gives me permission to stay there. He begins to bring out his notepad and his pens, just like he used to when we started, but this time seems different, he's less organised because he didn't expect me. All I can think about is Violet, she's the reason I'm here today, if it wasn't for her, I'd probably be hiding all over again, going through the same ridiculous fucking sequence of torture, all over again. I'm glad I'm here, the only Harmon I have to see again is Vivien, all I need to know is if I'm still in welcome arms with her, especially after I went after her daughter with vicious intentions. I just need to get rid of Taint from my mind, at least suppress him long enough to find a way to be rid of him permanently. I feel like this session will help me find a way, at least give me an idea as to how to help myself, I have high hopes, but I guess I'll see the results sooner rather than later.  
"Are you ready, Tate?" Ben asks.  
"Yes, I'm ready."

He sits down in the patients' chair, which is odd, but I don't complain. Ben seems to be less serious than he was when he was alive, I mean, which is good, you shouldn't take yourself seriously, when you're dead. Or, he's feeling awkward, seeing he literally condemned me to darkness, but I'm kinda glad he did it.  
"I just want to start, Ben, by thanking you," I comment, catching his attention.  
"Thanking me for what?" Ben asks.  
"Doing what I said, making sure I couldn't hurt anyone else, you were a little late, but thank you. Oh and, don't be sorry about it, I mean it, don't. I'm back now, back in this society now, and I'd prefer it if I don't go back to the darkness I had to deal with for those two months, not unless I have no choice."  
"I believe you, and I'm glad you're back-"  
That's when he pauses, so suddenly, something's up, he seems worried, different. Almost everything about Ben is different, some things I like, others not so much, but this has my attention.  
"I'll admit, I've been having trouble with Violet ever since you left, and she knows that I was only doing what you told me, but still. She hates me, Tate, but I'm your therapist, not the other way around, so we better start."  
"Yeah, I guess so," I agree.

"How have you been feeling?"  
The question we've both been waiting for, one that could lead either to anger or sadness, nothing will prepare Ben for the truth. Should I lie, or should I be completely honest? I guess whatever is about to be said, happens.  
"My feelings- my feelings- My feelings, they've been like leeches on my skin, sucking not just my blood, but the last of my happiness. I have parasites in my mind, that drain me of life, make me feel worthless, angry, unlike anything I've ever felt in my life. I have locks on my heart, which stop me from being able to smile, to laugh, to feel happy again. The only person that has the key, is Violet, she can make me smile again. My anger, it's like a sweetness in my mouth that I can't seem to swallow, my memories, tempting effects and my lust for endless murder, one of the few things that keep me going."  
"What did you just say?" Ben asks, gasping at everything I had just said.  
I snap, picking up the scissors on the table and leap over the table and towards Ben. I tackle him to the ground and begin to stab him, over and over, until all I can see, is blood. Blood. Red. I then hold the scissors against my own throat, feeling the sensations of the metal, god I love it. Ben tries to get up from his chair, but I do it, I feel my throat open as I slide the blade across my throat, feeling myself choke on my own blood. What have I done?

"Tate? Tate?!"  
I open my eyes, and here I am, the room is quiet, Ben is still in his chair, and the scissors are still on the table. I just hallucinated all of that, what the hell is happening to me? I stop and think, then Ben catches my attention again, he seems concerned.  
"You didn't answer my question, Tate," Ben says.  
"I didn't?"  
"No, how have you been feeling lately?"  
I need to get out of here, I need to get to Violet before I go apeshit. I have to cut this short before Ben begins to become even more concerned. My eyes begin to reach the scissors again, that's it, I have to go.  
"Fine. I've been, fine. I'm sorry, Ben, but I need to go."


	10. Rubbery Madness

My mind is made of rubber, it has to be, otherwise, it wouldn't be melting in my skull. Everything doesn't seem right; the house, being myself again, Ben's rather of speaking to me, nothing seems right. I can't seem to find myself, not even with Violet. It seems that I'm trapped, trapped in the never-ending maze that is my mind, my life, and the war that I can't seem to fight my way out of. It used to simple, finding my way out of the sadness; you go talk to someone, and you expect to get the advice you paid for. Constance always had a way with the psychologist, but this is different, I'm straight up losing my god damn fucking mind. Even after death, I still haven't found my way out of the war inside of my head, if only it was that god damn simple, but it's not, it's FUCKEN NOT! I stare down the abyss of the hallway, watching as it begins to become, further away. The hallways begin to stretch out for miles, making my eyes dilate and my head spin. That's when I begin to hear things; gunshots make me jump, the sound of bones breaking makes me shake, and the sound of walls cracking makes me terrified.

I stare around at the walls, but they're fine, nothing's wrong with them. The more I walk around, the more hallucinations begin to flood my mind. I blink, and as soon as I open my eyes again, I'm back in the hall of my old school, Westfield High, the high school I hated so much.  
"Tate?! Tate what are you doing?!" A female voice scream.  
"Hey, that's enough," I hear Kyle Greenwell say, before hearing another gunshot.  
"Tate! NO!" Another female voice screams.  
"You're pathetic, a piece of shit, Tate!" A male voice says.  
"You are nothing," I hear the cocksucker say.  
So many voices fly around in my head, I can't seem to escape it all, it's like they're strangling me. It's overwhelming, disrupting, destructive, I hate it. That's when I hear a specific voice, one I could point out if my life depended on it; it's Violet's.  
"You need to pay for what you've done."

I stare down the hall, and that's when I see him, Taint standing at the end of the hall, wearing the same black clothes in my dreams, with the same tattoos that surround his body. I stare at my own hands; the tattoos have disappeared, there no longer on me. Taint stares at me with his dark eyes, smirking at me, making me wonder what he wants.  
"What do you want for me?" I ask, watching as he takes steps towards me.  
"Hmmm, I don't know, Tate. You think you bring me back?" He pauses, staring right through me. "ANSWER ME!"  
"No."  
"You think you can find I way to tear me from your mind, give me my own body?!"  
"No! SHUT UP!" I scream.  
"No?! I didn't fucking think so, you're useless you know that you're the worst person on this planet."  
"No, I'm not," I snarl.  
"You. Useless. Arrogant. Feeble. Disgusting. Rapist. Murderer. Killer. Psychopath."  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I scream, curling up to a ball and crying in a corner of the hall. Taint laughs at me, standing right in front of me as he shows his dominance, maybe I am crazy, this madness in me is proving it.  
"I'm okay, I'm okay," I say to myself.  
This is what he wanted the entire time, he wanted to feel this way, tear my mind apart so he can take over all over again. He's won, again, and there's literally nothing I can do about it.  
"I'll see you soon, Tate."

Tate has finally gone to see my dad, I'd be glad if I knew for sure whether or that is a good or bad thing, after the things I've heard my dad say about Tate, it's pretty fucking hard to read whether or not he actually wants to help him. I stare at the black rose Tate had left for me before slipping away, it's beautiful, and this time, it's not painted black, it's a naturally black rose, where did he get it from? He couldn't have slipped out because he hasn't been Halloween since he disappeared, so that's out of the picture. The possibilities are slim, perverted in a way like he literally had no way to escape the bullshit that covered his mind. I don't know how he got it, but it's beautiful, nearly as beautiful as he is, and I can't help but smile every time I stare at it. I stand up, hearing a sudden thump on the ground, but that wasn't me, it couldn't have been, right? I stare at my door, hearing mumbling from the other side of it, some sort of moaning and cooing. I walk towards the door, and the mumbling turns to panicked sounding screeches, and that makes me nearly leap outside of my room.

I stare at the edge of the stares, it's Tate, curled up in a ball, crying to himself. I listen out to him, and I hear his words. "I'm crazy", the only words coming out of his mouth, over and over again. Nothing prepared for seeing him like this, I have to calm him down. I take small steps towards him, bringing my hand close to his, and at first touch, he's just startled more, jumping as his eyes managed to peer at me through all of those tears. He stares me down aimlessly, making me choke on the emotions going on inside of my heart, just looking at him is destroying me.  
"Make it stop, Violet, please!"  
I sit down next to him, crying as I cuddle up to him. He cries into my shoulder; his dark tattooed eyes are soaked, I don't think I've ever seen someone cry this much since my mom miscarried, and it's painful.  
"It's okay, Tate. Just breathe, slowly, I'm right here with you, and I'm not going anywhere. We're forever, Tate, and we always will be."  
"I'm so sorry, I'm such a mess, I-"  
"Don't, Tate, it's okay. I'm going to look after you, okay? Nothing will stop me, not my dad, not this house, not even Taint can stop me, you understand?" I ask him, making sure he knows what I'm saying.  
"Alright, I- I- I love you."

I brush his tattooed cheek with my hand, taking his golden locks from his eyes, revealing the abyss of the brown in his gorgeous eyes. Even when they're full of tears, his eyes are the most chocolate things I have ever seen in my god damn life, beautiful, like a paradise. I kiss his cheek, feeling the heat from his now burning skin, he's clearly blushing. That's when he grips my wrist again, tighter than expected.  
"I don't want to hurt you," he says, starring right into me.  
But he won't, I know he won't, he can't, he won't let himself. Tate is the sweetest person in the god damn world, and the fact that he's been broken over and over again by a simple voice in his head breaks me.  
"Everything will be okay, Tate."  
"I really hope so," he gasps, making me feel his skin become colder.  
Jesus Christ, Tate, what am I going to do with you? I have to speak to the others.


	11. Crossing The Unknown

This is the meeting we cannot skip, the sheer importance apprehends everyone in the room, everyone that cares for Tate, condemning them into the worry I have to face every second I'm with him. I've gathered the people I knew would be willing to help; my dad, mom, Nora, Moira, Patrick, and god knows why, but I also put Hayden into consideration. After his little break-down, Tate fell asleep, passed out actually, I was surprised about how quickly he fell asleep, but then again, he used all of his energy crying in the corner of the hall. He really did freak me out, pushed me over the edge, as well as my patience, this is why we have to talk about our game plans, because Tate needs us more than ever, and I can't be the only person holding him together. Everyone is patient, ready to listen, and that's what I want, I want them to be ready because I feel like this isn't going to be the only meeting we have.

"Thank you all for being here tonight," I say, staring at every member in the room. "As you all know, this meeting is about Tate, and what we're going to do to make sure he finds a way to himself again. I don't know about any of you, but I miss the old Tate, the Tate I had those months ago, I need him back. This is why I need all of you here tonight, so we can find a way to keep him from doing anything bad to himself. I'm going to start with a question, to Nora."  
"I'm willing to do anything to get the beautiful loving boy that Tate is back, so, ask away Violet," Nora states, smiling.  
"Being his adoptive parent, and being here when Tate became a ghost, has he ever been like this? The tattoos, the violent behaviour, the crazy way he's been acting. Has this ever happened to him before?"  
"Not that I can recall. He's had his moments of rage before, but that was before he was a ghost, never before have I seen him the way he is now," Nora explains. "The closest thing to this that I've witnessed, was that night those three people tried to kill you and Vivien. He was with me when they showed up, and when he saw what they were trying to do, he filled with, a rage I've never seen before. He killed two of those three people that night, axed one of the girls down and drowned the guy. I don't know if he ever told you that."  
"No, he never told me that, he may have committed murder, but it was to protect me and my mom. Thank you, Nora."

Truth is coming out already, which is good, we're making progress already. Soon we'll be constructing a plan that will cure him of Taint's influence, it's either that, or we'll have to somehow tear it out of him, permanently.  
"I will admit, Vi," my dad starts. "Tate saw me in my office today, and he said that he was 'fine', it is now clear to me that he lied."  
"Yeah, he definitely did," I agree.  
"I have my regrets, Vi, I shouldn't have ever called him a psychopath, I'm really sorry. I-"  
"Dad, it's in the past, let's just find a way to make his life easier, okay?"  
"Okay," my dad agrees.  
"Tate has always been concerning, I hated him at one stage, but, I've never seen him like this before. I thought he was just a psycho, but after learning the truth about what really lies inside of his brain," Patrick pauses. "I find it easier to understand why he's done the things he's done."  
"Moira?" I ask, welcoming her thoughts.  
"I'm really much help, but what I know is that Tate has always been an emotional kid. He's kind, but no offence to him or anything, but he does have some mental issues, we're all aware of that."  
"I just want to help him, Violet, I know I'm not the most trustworthy person ever, but I care about Tate's well being," Hayden states. "And whatever you do, I'm going to help."

"We just need to figure out a way to stop him from hurting himself, like a support group or something. I love him, he's my everything, he's Nora's son, and he needs all of our help. But there are two terms; don't crowd him, make sure to give him his space, and two, make sure that he's himself, and not his other self. Does everyone agree to help me find a way to help him?"  
"Yes," everyone agrees, making me smile.  
"Violet, honey," I mother starts. "I know he's made mistakes in the past, but he doesn't deserve to go down the path he continues to go down. He's a sweet, beautiful boy, and he doesn't deserve to be haunted by a voice in his god damn head."  
"But that's when you're wrong, Vivien," I voice says from the door.  
I turn to face the door, seeing Tate, all dressed in black, just like the night where those thugs attacked Nora. But why? His eyes are dark, mellow and provocative, he looks crazy, like Taint has full control of him. This can't be good, I need to do something.  
"I deserve everything that happens to me."  
"Tate," I stand up slowly, staring at him. "You're, sick, but I can help-"  
Tate chuckles, his breath slurring mid-laugh, with his dimples antagonising me. "You- you really think you can help me, Vi?! You of all people should know how far gone I am, crazy, psychotic."  
"That isn't you," Nora adds, standing up as I take a step forward.  
"Please, nobody comes near me, I don't want to hurt you," Tate begs. "You're all in danger if I stay here, I have to go, I mean, at least I've found a reason to leave."  
"Where do you think you are going, Tate?" Ben asks.  
"I'm going to visit the cocksucker, and I'm going to rip out her throat."

Tate opens the front door, heading straight outside in a rush, causing everyone to follow him as quickly as possible. I pursue him, following out the front of Murder House, and when I see him, he's inches away from the fence that separates the living from the dead.  
"Tate, baby, come back here. We can fight this, together, you promised we will-"  
"No, Vi! We can't, it's useless trying!" Tate screams.  
"Come back to me, child," Nora begs.  
"We can help you, dude," Patrick adds.  
"We just need you to come back to us," Hayden finishes.  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY FUCKEN HEAD!" he screams at the top of his lungs, even the dead would be able to hear him.  
"What do you think is going to happen, Tate?" My dad asks. "That you'll just walk through those fences like they don't exist? No, you'll just be sent back here."  
"No, I won't," Tate snarls.

Tate takes a step towards the gate, grabbing it and opening it. He stares over to all of us, that's when his eyes meet mine.  
"I'm so sorry, Vi, I love you so much. But I can't be trusted, not with you, your family, not even with my own fucken' mother. I have to do this, or I'll tear myself apart just like before."  
He takes his first step towards the streets in front of Murder House, and I can't believe what I see, his feet pass the gate. He crosses the line Ghosts cannot; it's not Halloween, so this should be impossible. And like that, he disappears into the darkness of the real world, Tate has crossed the unknown, and we have no idea how.


	12. Visits

I feel the cold air against my pale, marked skin, it feels amazing, like taking in my first breaths all over again. I feel like I've been born again, re-formed into the world of the living, although Taint is still inside of my head, for the first time, I ignore the idea. I stare at the streets, wondering if anything has changed, but so far I haven't been able to spot anything different. My curiosity begins to get to me, making me feel like I've never even seen these streets before, it's overwhelming, but in an amazing way. I scream at the top of my lungs in excitement, but nobody comes out to tell me to shut up, they mustn't be able to hear me... interesting. I slowly turn to face the house I had just left behind so suddenly, nobody is there, which is confusing, it's either I can't see them, or nobody is actually there. That's when I face my old house, the place the cocksucker lives in, the one place I swore I'd never go back to, but I have to, I have to do this. Killing Constance will free me finally, of her greed and her grasp, I'll be finally able to control my own actions without that cunt appearing in my head over and over again. But that's when I remember a teeny tiny being that lives in the house; Michael.

I spot Constance through the god damn window, and that sparks something inside, something I know will turn out to be volatile. My anger begins to consume me, knowing that Michael is living with that whore brings me into a trance, and I black out. I can feel myself walking, but I have no idea where, oh fuck. Has Taint taken over again? Have I allowed him access to mere anger? No, no, no, this feels really different than that, I feel more in control. I come to so suddenly, and like that, I'm at the front door, so close it seems like I was trying to see through it. My eyes meet the doorknob, making me contemplate my next move; do I kill her? Or do I walk away?  
"Choices, choices. You know which one is the right one, Tate, you're smart."  
"Why are you here? Now, out of any moment?" I ask the voice in my head.  
"Michael is in there, being treated like the 'perfect' son, but you know better. Make her suffer, Tate, for everything she has done to you, Adelaide and Beau. She has to pay, but, the choice is yours. I don't need to influence you for this part, I already know what decision you'll make."  
He's right, for once, I'm going to listen to Taint, he knows what decision I'm going to make. The anger doesn't only control me, but it makes me feel, incredible. I turn the doorknob, but obviously, it's locked, making me angrier. I twist it harder, feeling the lock break in my grip, that's when I open the door, preparing myself for the evil deed.

I creep my way towards the kitchen, hearing plates and cups bang together, she's doing the dishes, and a sudden sound of cooing has to be Michael. I walk past the lounge room, and at the edge of the kitchen, seeing a block of knives, only to grip and tear one from it. I stop, standing a meter away from Constance as she does the dishes, gripping the knife tightly in my hand. Anger gets to me, and I slam the knife into the table, making Constance drop a plate and smash into a hundred pieces.  
"Jesus, Michael, what I have told you about- Tate?" She says as she turns to face Michael, only to see me in the way of her eyes.  
I watch her as she grabs another knife, clearly to defend herself from everything, but being what I am, it won't help her.  
"Hello, Constance."  
"How are you- What are y- It's not Halloween, how are you here?" She asks, clearly terrified of the way I look. "What has happened to you, you look- different."  
"I somehow found my way through, and what has happened to me is the reason I'm here. All the stress you put me through, made me, different, made me form a second personality-"  
"So," she interrupts me, snarling. "You're blaming me for what you did to those students, and everyone else you've hurt; the gay couple, the Harmons, an exterminator for Christ sake. You don't get to blame that on me!" She screams.  
"Oh yes!" I scream back. "I do! Because of you, I let my demons take control, which caused every bad thing I've ever done. It changed everything about me; my personality, even caused the appearance of these tattoos. They were from my dreams, but it's obvious now, it was never a dream, was it? I know what you did, Constance, you killed Dad, Beau, and you basically killed Addie."  
"I loved Addie," Constance snarls.  
"Perhaps, just not the way you should have," I finish. "You don't seem so happy to see your 'perfect' son, oh wait, with these markings, I'm not perfect anymore, am I? Now, Constance, sit the fuck down, now!"

To my delight, in fear, she does exactly what I tell her to, sitting down in the chair opposite to my son.  
"So, how has he been? Keeping healthy, warm and well fed?" I ask her, clearly referring to Michael.  
"Yes, I've made sure of that-"  
"Well, I guess you have to do at least one nice thing in your life, Constance. Don't expect a fucking thank you either, this isn't a god damn charity."  
"Well," Constance scoffs, starring at Michael. "Why are you here then? To kill me?"  
"That is one of the main focuses, yes. But I also wanted to see him, I wanted to see Michael," I explain. "Then after he falls to sleep, I'll deal with you, and I will take Michael with me to the house."  
"YOU CAN'T-"  
"I CAN DO WHAT I WANT ONCE I'M RID OF YOU!" I scream, pulling the knife from the table and pointing it towards her.  
I can feel my blood boiling, I really do hate her, so fucking much. I'd do anything to be rid of her, and I think I will, but not with Michael watching. My boiling rage is suddenly weakened, when I hear the cooing of Michael's soft voice.

I stare at Michael, his adorable chocolate brown eyes, just like mine. I watch his hand as it slowly springs out, asking for my hand to join with his, he doesn't seem to be afraid of the way I look. I place my tattooed handout, watching as he places it on my own. He smiles at me, his dimples making me smile, even managing to fade the markings on my hand for a brief moment.  
"He's so beautiful, but, he's far from perfect."  
"Daddy," Michael coos, his tiny little hand grabbing my palm.  
The sound of the phone ringing breaks me from my concentration, making Constance jump nearly out of her chair, which makes me chuckle. She places the phone to her ear, then stares at me.  
"It's for you," she states. "It's Violet."  
I snatch the phone from Constance, taking it to my ear, already hearing the sound of Violet's sobbing voice.  
"Tate?! Please, Tate, don't do anything you'll regret! I beg you, please!" Violet cries out.  
I stare over at Constance before saying my next words, knowing that it will be more effective if I do so.  
"I'm so sorry, Vi, but I have to do this. I have to kill her."

I pick up Michael from his high-chair, embracing him in a father-son hug, feeling his adorableness.  
"I'm so sorry, for everything, Michael. I'm not the father you deserve, and I sure as... I shouldn't have done what I did to your mother. I'm a monster, and you shouldn't have to be the son of a monster."  
I find my way to the stairs, taking my son to his room, knowing that Constance had changed my room to his. I arrive in my old room, admiring how adorable Michael is when he's sleeping as I place him in his cot. For some odd reason, Constance followed upstairs, maybe she's prepared for her fate.  
"You know, Constance, I'm never going to say this ever again. This is the first time I've ever been a good person, and it's a son that should have never been born," I pause, staring at my beautiful Michael. "He's so gorgeous, and it pains me to think that he was born because of something I did, that was wrong."  
I turn around, facing Constance, staring into her fear filled eyes. This is it, the moment I've been waiting for, I finally get to do it, I've been wanting to do this since I was seventeen. Goodbye Constance.


	13. Returning To The Beginning

I sit on the porch of Murder House, waiting patiently for anything; a scream, yelling, Michael crying. Anything would be great right now, even if it isn't exactly, positive. I don't feel bad for Constance. she had this coming a very long time ago, hell, she even tried to poison me with a laced cupcake. Lucky for me though, when those three pricks tried to murder me and my mom, one of the bitches ate it, spewed her guts out all over the place before Tate cut her down with an axe. He was protecting me, so I won't let him feel bad about that murderous bitch, as well as the other two. Tate's family was dysfunctional, sure, but it wasn't one-hundred percent destructive. There was Constance Langdon, the devil in human form, always making sure that the worst of things happen, and to her excitement, they normally did. Then there was the innocence; Beau and Addie, they suffered just because they were different because their minds were set more than cruelty. Then, there was Tate Langdon, the devil trying his hardest to be an angel; constantly trying to fit in, be somehow he wanted to be. He loved his siblings equally, but all of that pressure got to him, he was pushed over the edge. But where is he now?  
"I need you, Tate, please come back to me."  
"I just did."

I stare over at the fence, Tate stands there, no sign of blood anywhere, so it's either he committed a clean kill, or he did something else.  
"Is she," I pause.  
"Dead?" he asks, to which I nod my head. "No. I left before I could, too much bullshit in that house, I had to leave."  
He speaks like he just wanted to leave the house, but I know there's something more to it. He didn't kill her for a reason, I just need to figure out why, that's when his eyes begin to tear up, and in disbelief, ink begins to drain from his eyes. I think what I am seeing, and then it hits me, he's becoming more like Taint the longer he's out there. I have to do something, and soon.  
"I saw Michael. He's, so god damn beautiful, I took him to his room, watched him as he fell asleep in my arms. He really is an angel, and that destroys me. One day, that child is going to ask, who his daddy is, and Constance is going to tell him who I am, what I am, and what I did. And that terrifies me, more than Taint, more than everything, but losing you, Violet," he stares up at me. "If you don't understand by now, I need you in my life, you're not a want, you're a need in my life."  
"I'm always going to be there for you, Tate," I state. "So is my mom, dad, Nora, Moira, Patrick, everyone is here for you. You just need to come back to us."  
"Not yet," he says, wiping the ink from his cheek. "There's one more place I have to go to, and I want you to come with me."  
I watch as his hand leans towards me, his tattoos on his hand fading as it reaches past the gate and into my own. I should stop him, but I don't want to, I love him, and I never want to let him go again. He yanks me past the gate, and into the streets, and like that, we disappear.

We appear within the hall of a place, and the more I stare at it, the more I recognise the hall; Westfield High. Tate stands beside, his face grey and his eyes looking shallow; he's terrified of this place, every part about it makes him want to burst into tears. I watch him as he moves towards one of the lockers, his head leaning into the metal when he reaches it.  
"Tate?" I ask. "Are you okay?"  
"This is- the place I took my first ever life; Mark Finstein. I just walked straight up to him and shot him in the skull, blew half his face off."  
"Did you feel anything from it all, the whole thing?" I ask him.  
"No. Not really, I don't remember much from it, but then again, I don't want to. I felt, kinda' numb, but then, the more I think about it," he stops for a moment. "I felt terrified, terrified of the actions I was committing. I felt like a monster had taken over my body. Then, I killed more, and more, and more. That was the day I became Taint Langdon."  
"That's bullshit, and you know that!" I snap, leaning on the locker next to him. "You were changed, Constance did that, not you. She pushed you over the edge-"  
"Yeah, but she didn't pull the fucking trigger, Vi, did she?!" he snaps back, punching the locker beside me so hard, the metal bends inwards. "I DID THIS!"  
I don't feel sad, just mad, I'm trying to help him, and he's being a child.  
"Calm down, Tate," I order him. "Now."

He takes in a very large breath, his eyes changing from angry to shallow again, indicating that he's calmed himself down.  
"Are you done?" I ask, crossing my arms.  
He stares right at me, his eyes filling with water, but that's when our lips suddenly collide. Our kiss is the most passionate thing I've ever felt in my life; makes me feel calmer, far more relaxed than anything else in this world. Even with the tattoos on his skin, Tate still looks and feels like a god damn angel; sweet and kind, but at the same time, dangerous and protective. But why are we really here? I ignore the thoughts of anything else, because this moment seems perfect, and never want it to end.  
"Well, ain't this sweet!" I hear a male voice from the dark. "He's finally returned to us, guys, and he has some sick tats too?!"  
Tate pulls back from the kiss, moving straight in front of me, being as protective as ever. The voice reveals himself from the dark; it's Kyle Greenwell, one of the students Kyle had killed, and one of the members of the Dead Breakfast Club. The bullet hole in his head spews blood, grossing me out

"After all this time, Tate?" Kyle stops.  
"You're finally here," Stephanie Boggs finishes, appearing behind me.  
I turn and face the goth-looking girl, specifically the part of her skull that is missing. She looks different from before; her skin is greyer and she looks much more, aggressive. Same as Kyle, but if they're here, that means the other members are somewhere.  
"What do you want? From me, and Violet?" Tate snarls, his eyes glaring at the other three silhouettes hiding in the dark.  
I watch as the jawless nerd Amir Stanley, punk Kevin Gedman and cheerleader Chloe Stapleton reveal themselves from the dark, looking the same as the others; aggressive and grey.  
"Never thought you'd return," Chloe giggles. "It's about god damn time."  
"Well, he has," I snark. "We're just passing through."  
Amir just stares at the two of us with evil eyes, that's when Kyle begins to move closer to us, Chloe and Kevin close behind him.

"We're never going to forgive you, Tate," Kevin growls. "So if you and your whore are here because of this-"  
"We're not!" I snark at the punk. "And if you call me a whore one more time, you're going to get more than a slap in the face."  
"What? You gonna' slap his cock instead?!" Chloe says, right in front of my face.  
In a sudden urge, I slap her right in the face, surprising her so much that she backs away.  
"What the fuck?! Bitch."  
I watch as Kyle makes a move towards me, but Tate grips his jacket with one hand, and his throat with another.  
"Don't you forget," Tate pauses. "I killed you once, I can do it again. If you go near her, I will."  
I hear footsteps behind me; high heels. I use my ghost ability to move near the door of the hall, dodging what could have been a pain in the skull, by the hands of Stephanie.  
"That's new?" Stephanie says, starring at me. After hearing her say that, it brings a thought into my head; does she know how to do that? Or is it only certain ghosts can do it? Makes no sense, right?

I watch an arm swing towards Tate, Amir's arm. In a sudden moment, Tate is punched to the ground by Amir, then kicked in the stomach by Kyle. I try to do something, but I feel Chloe's hands wrap around my arms, pinning them against my back, then my body to a nearby locker. Stephanie walks towards me slowly, smiling before she punches me in the nose. I feel blood gush from my nose, and stare to see blood gushing from the mouth of Tate. The only person who doesn't seem to want to do anything is Kevin.  
"You really shouldn't have come back, Tate," Kevin states, walking towards him. "All you had to do was put that gun down when someone told you to, but-"  
"You even failed to do that!" Kyle yells, kicking Tate in the face.  
"What I want to know, Violet," Chloe whispers to me. "How the fuck have you stuck with him?!"  
"He's a real piece of shit boyfriend, isn't he?" Stephanie whispers in my ear. "Has he raped you?"  
"NOOOOOOOOO!" I scream in hatred. "HE'S NOT A MONSTER!"  
I watch Tate as he looks up at me, his eyes becoming darker, in fact, every tattoo on his body begins to become darker. The tattoos become so dark, that I can see them through his clothes. He mouths some words, over and over, then I realise what he's trying to say; go outside, now!.

He looks up at Kyle, Kevin and Amir, his eyes looking evil and very, very angry. He begins to get up from the floor, taking multiple hits to the face, but he doesn't seem to be feeling any pain from it. Kyle becomes frustrated, kicking Tate in the face, but that just annoys Tate more. I move from Chloe's grip, sending her face into the locker, then punching Stephanie in the face in defence. I use my ability to find myself near the door, but I have to stay, I need to make sure Tate is okay. I hear him scream like a madman, launching himself upwards, sending Kyle and Amir away from him. Tate moves towards the locker he punched, pulling the metal from its hinges, then watching as Amir gets up, obviously wanting more. Tate throws the metal towards Amir, but he ducks, instead, chopping Kyle's head clean off his shoulders, his blood soaking the halls.  
"You're going to pay for that, Tate!" Stephanie screams.  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MY NAME IS TAINT!" he screams, his voice sending chill and fear down my spine. He charges towards the jawless Amir and scared shitless Kevin.

Amir attempts to counter-attack Tate, but he's overwhelmed as Tate slams his head into the wall. Kevin grips Tate's jacket with aggression, but Tate manages to throw him towards the entrance of the hall with one hand, throwing him through the whole door. The glass breaks all over the place, and the door is completely caved inwards, Kevin has ceased to be seen like his spirit is taking its rest. I turn to face where Kyle once stood, but he's gone also, must be the same thing. I watch as Tate violently slams Amir's head into the wall, over and over again, until there's literally nothing left of him. Stephanie and Chloe walk a long way away from me, but I stay exactly where I am. That's when Tate finishes bashing Amir's head in. He faces me, starring at me as he begins to charge.  
"Tate! NOOO!" I scream. "PLEASE!"  
I feel his arms around me, but I don't feel scared because I'm not in pain; he's taking us somewhere else. That's when I begin to hear the sound of crickets and feel the cold air of the outside.


	14. To The House Of Murder

I feel the coolness of my skin, the wind pulling my blonde locks, and Violet by my side. The temperature of the street is peaceful on my skin, and it seems to be helping me cool down from my psychotic breakdown I had at the school, and against the dead breakfast club. Honestly, it felt good, really god damn good, even if I did go overboard on things; you know, bashing Amir's head into a simple concoction of brain matter and bone. The only reason why I stopped, was because I could feel how scared Violet was, that's why I had to find our way out of that place. I can feel my heart bashing against my chest, and Violet's heart bashing against her own, which makes me feel safer, how close we are is angelic. I feel her warmth against me, and then I tremble; whether there's something wrong, or I'm being overwhelmed by my love for the girl beside me. My knees hit the ground, and I can feel the blood in my throat begin to rise again, which causes me to puke onto the cement, that's when I feel Violet's arms on me once again.

"Tate?" Violet says to me. helping me up. "I asked you a question."  
"I'm sorry, Vi, what did you ask me?" I choke, falling back to the ground, the rising sun at the edge of my vision.  
"Are. You. Okay?" she asks slowly.  
I stare at the reflection that ricochets off my blood, and all I can see is me, starring back with those markings. But the part that scares me is it doesn't seem like me anymore; the face, the eyes, everything isn't me anymore.  
"I guess," I choke again, puking all over the cement some more. "It's not like I can die, babe."  
"I know, but still," she pauses, making me look up at her crossed arms. "You fucking scared me, Tate. Do you know that? You've processed that in the brain that is still inside of your head?! Notice how I didn't say mind? Why?! Because I don't know whether it's you or the other guy in front of me right now, you called yourself Taint for fuck sake, and it sounded like you accepted what has happened to you-"  
"It's me, Vi, I swear," I say, finding myself to my feet.  
"Yeah?! Well, prove it!" Violet snarls at me, turning herself around to face away from me.  
I grab her shoulders, rubbing them softly as I move towards her neck. I can smell the violet perfume in her hair, on her skin, it's branded her. I kiss her neck, feeling her shiver violently, and even gasp at my touch. I feel her shift around towards me, her hands on my shoulders, and her face only an inch away from me. I don't think anything could ruin this beautiful moment with Violet, nothing in this god damn world.

You're a psychopath, Tate, and the worst kind.  
You need to pay for what you've done.  
I'm always going to be a part of you, ALWAYS!  
You'reBut, Tate, you are the darkness.  
You killed us, Tate, all of us.  
All of you had to do, was put that gun down.  
You piece of shit, I was going to leave with him and you ruined all of it!  
You killed my mother!  
You're not a person, you're a monster.

I launch myself away from Violet, in fear of me hurting her. I hit the front of the fence posts, starring at the Murder House, and that's when I see it, starring at me through the window. The rubber suit, the suit I swear I destroyed, someone is inside of it, mocking me, trying to make me feel worse and worse. They place one finger over their mouth like they're shushing me, which makes me shake in fear. It begins to unzip the mask, and when it does, there stares my face, smirking at me with evil eyes. Am I dreaming? Or is this really god damn happening right now?  
"Tate?" I hear Violet say to me. "Listen to my voice, listen to me. The sun is about to come up, we probably have a few minutes before it does. We have to go through those gates, now, I don't know what will happen to us if we don't."  
"We'll be trapped," I explain. "Out here, forever, and worse, we'll never be able to see anyone else, ever again. I won't be able to see Vivien, Ben, Nora, you, I won't even be able to see anyone on Halloween. You should go, Vi, leave me where I belong; with the rest of the monsters."  
"Don't say that, please. You don't deserve to be out here, nobody does, especially not you. So please, Tate, come back with me, I can help you. I know, I've said that hundreds of times, and I'm yet to prove that, but please, I won't stop until you're finally cured of being tainted."

I stare up at Vi, tears roll down her face, and her shallow eyes stare back at me. Staring at her more and more makes me feel teary-eyed, and in a matter of seconds, I can feel cold tears running down my face. I stand up, embracing Violet in a hug like it's going to be our last, and the feeling, just makes me feel worse, and cry more.  
"I love you, Tate, you're the only joy I've experienced since I overdosed. I need you, Tate, I need you and if I lose you, I don't know what will happen to me."  
I can feel my heart aching in my chest, I've never felt so terrible in my god damn life. I'm breaking the love of my life's heart all over again, and it makes me feel evil like I really am Taint, but on the inside. I can feel the warmth from the sun, which indicates one thing; I have a few seconds to make my god damn decision.  
"I- I love you, Violet, but I- I can't."  
"NOO! PLEASE! TATE!"  
One look in her eyes triggers me, the look of sadness made me see her future. She'd die inside without me, she'd turn into something worse than Taint, she'd make herself suffer just as I did. I can't let her, I can't let her become the thing I did. In a sudden outburst, I grab her waist, and I watch as the sun just misses us, as I launch both of us inside of those gates. I've managed to get us back to the house of murder, but, what happens now?


	15. A Burning Sensation

I watch my angel as he sleeps, watching every small detail of his body; his chest rising up as he breathes out, his changing face every time he moves, and the twitching of his body. I curl his hair with his fingertips, smiling at the sight that lays beside me, even with the tattoos all over his body, he still somehow looks like the cutest person in the entire world. I stare at his eyes, noticing the ink marks are completely gone, and then the tattoos themselves catch my attention. I lift the blanket to stare at the tattoos flowing down the rest of his body, noticing how they change, like themes, but to me, they will always be like something from Alice in Wonderland. The webs, cards, even the bones themselves stare back at me with grace, and I've never seen anything like it. When I was alive, I saw few tattoos, mostly because I hung out with school friends that were a bunch of pussies, but now that I see them, I'm overwhelmed but the sheer appearance of them. But, of course, these aren't ordinary tattoos, these are Tainted marks, curses, something from a horror movie. But, even with the trouble, Tate is constantly stuck in, I won't give up, not for anything in this world.

My bedroom door opens, and my mom and Nora walk through the door. I look at the time and notice how late it is; Four PM. Did Tate and I really sleep in for that god damn long, I guess, we were wandering around for ages. I welcome the women with a smile, and they do the same, which makes me happy. Seeing Nora and my mom happy, makes me happy.  
"How is he?" my mom asks me. "How's he feeling?"  
"He appears to be sleeping, quite vigorously," Nora giggles.  
"I don't know, he was really exhausted, and so was I," I explain. "I guess crossing the line that separates us from the living, twice, can really take it out of you."  
I watch as my mother sits down on the bed next to me, starring at the tattoos all over Tate's body. It's the first time anyone besides me and Nora have gotten close enough to really observe the markings on his skin. I look at my mother again, noticing how intrigued she looks.  
"So, these are it, huh?" she says to me. "These are the markings?"  
"Yeah," I nod.  
"Are you sure he's okay?" Nora asks again. "He's been through a lot, not only the past few weeks but his entire life. Honestly, I have seen those before, but only once."  
"Once?" I ask. "When did you see it?"  
"I was with him, not long after he died, his spirit went straight to me. In the time that I lived in, they used to say that when someone close to you dies, their spirit goes straight to you before they can do anything themselves," Nora explains. "But, Tate's spirit was still angry, about everything. Still jacked up on the drugs he had taken before, and his started breaking everything in the basement, and for a single moment, they appeared. So I need to know if he's really okay, I need to."  
"Why don't you ask him yourself," I smirk, shaking Tate to try and wake him up. "Tate, wake up, now."

I watch as Tate opens his eyes for a split moment, and listen as he groans like a child, rolling over to face the door. I think about what Nora had said, how he was terrifying angry when the markings appeared on his skin for the first time. Perhaps, the sudden possessive sickness is due to the trauma and stress, that makes sense, he was broken so long ago. First time I ever saw Tate, I knew he was different, but in a good way, he watched as I sliced my wrists, and told me where to slice if I wanted to end it all. I know why now, because saying that, made me consider my options, made me think about what I have to do, so, pretty much, he saved me mentally. Now I hate the thought of how his life went, but it's too late to change anything, our top priority is saving Tate from himself, so I have to focus.  
"Tate, C'mon, wake up!" I shake him, causing him to groan once more.  
"Why?!" he giggles, opening his eyes once again, seeing Nora and my mom. "Oh, I'm sorry mo... Nora."  
I giggle at what Tate said, what he nearly said, he almost called Nora "mom", well, she basically is his mom, she's been there for him since he first came to the house. The sheer embarrassment on his face is priceless, and I love it, it's so adorable. He leans upwards, leaning against the wall, trying to hide the redness of his blushing face, but I can see past it.  
"How'd you sleep, Tate?" My mom asks him.  
"Like the dead, so I'd say pretty well," he smiles.  
"We're going to make dinner very soon; us and Hayden, so you two should come down and have some?" Nora asks, her beautiful blonde hair smiling at the two of us.  
"Definitely, just let me get up," Tate agrees. "Coming Vi?  
"Of course," I giggle as he touches my shoulders.

I get up off my bed, starring at Tate as he begins to do the same, but something isn't right. Tate's legs give way, and his knees hit the floor, and he begins to grab his stomach, shrieking in obvious pain. The thumping sound echoes across the entire house, and I can hear Patrick and Chad questioning the noise, even my dad dropping everything in his office just to process what's happening, hell, I wish I could tell him if I knew. Tate screams louder than I've ever heard in my life, the cracking in his voice telling me how much pain his in, and the indication is heart-breaking.  
"Tate! Listen to me! What's going on?!" I scream. "What's happening to you?!"  
"MY BODY! IT'S BURNING! FUCK!" he screams.  
I try to comfort him with a shush, but his scream turns into an agonising sound. I touch his shoulder, and the temperature turns my hand, causing a blistering that doesn't last long. I tell Nora to go fetch some cold towels, and my mother to grab some ice from the kitchen. I focus on the markings on his body, they're fading on and off, and quite quickly. He body begins to shake as he hits the floor, and the last thing I'd expect to hear, is the next few words coming from his mouth.  
"V- Violet, i- It's time."


	16. Split Personalities

It's the edge of night, and Tate is still in agonising pain, crying in absolute trauma. My mom and I assist each other in moving Tate into the basement where it's quiet and cool, without causing any further harm to him. But the weirdest part it all, Tate told us to take him in the depths of the basement, like he knew, that was the place to go. As we place him softly on the ground, he screams in agony, which makes me jump at first, but then I take him in my arms, placing his head in my lap.  
"Help me- please," he cries violently, his body shaking. "It feels- like- there's something- TEARING FROM ME! FUCK!"  
"Shhhh, Tate," I whisper. "Shhhhh, it's okay, it's okay. Just breathe, baby. Everything is going to be okay, you're going to get through this pain, and then, we're going to fix you."  
I stare at his eyes; they're bloodshot and he's sweating excessively. I then stare at the markings on his skin, and, they're slowly fading, and the more I stare, the more faded it looks. I then focus on something more, exhilarating, and I listen to his heartbeat, and it beats faster than I've ever heard a heartbeat. Jesus Christ, Tate, what the fuck is happening to you?

I watch as Patrick and Nora enter the basement, they seem as worried as we do, especially Nora, it's Tate, Nora's baby. She stares at Tate, her eyes saying it all; she's both terrified and devastated by Tate's pain, you can tell she wishes he wasn't in pain.  
"What can we do to help?" Patrick asks, sticking close to the basement stairs in obvious fear. "Towels? Anything?"  
"No, I think we're oka-"  
"YES!" I yell, interrupting my mother. "More wet towels, please Patrick, he needs them."  
I observe his body once more, his skin, it's becoming a dark red colour, like he's experiencing burning all over his body. I touch his skin, feeling a burn on the finger, just like last time, but this time, my touch, makes him scream once more.  
"No more! Please, no more!" Tate screams. "No more, Vi!"  
"Fucking hell," my mother gasps. "He's burning up, he's burning up bad."  
"He's in real pain, Violet. He's crying now," Nora states, crying also.  
"I know, I know," I agree. "I don't know what's happening to him, but we need to do something about it."

This whole situation makes me wonder; why can ghosts feel pain? We're already dead, right? So we shouldn't be able to feel pain, but I guess there have been times where I've seen ghosts feel zero pain. I've been in situations where Tate has shown no pain, I watched him get stabbed by one of the men who tried to rape me, and yet, he showed no sign of feeling anything from it. But this pain is different, he's crying from it, god, I can't imagine the type of pain he's experiencing. Patrick arrives back into the basement, this time with a concerned looking Chad, and they hold dozens of wet towels.  
"Is this enough?!" Patrick asks.  
"Thank you, Patrick, you too Chad," I say, grabbing a wet towel and placing it on Tate's head, hearing him gasp from the relief.  
I can hear him speaking, but it's not English, it's complete gibberish like he's hallucinating all over again. I feel him twitch in my grasp like he's dreaming, but he's not, he's probably, having a night-terror while being awake. I watch Nora as he sits down next to me, taking the wet towel off me for a moment.  
"Talk to him while I cool his temperature, it may help calm him down more."  
"Alright, Nora," I agree.

"Tate, if you can hear me," I say softly, trying my hardest to calm him. "I love you, okay. This won't change it, and I won't stop until you're better."  
I watch as his eyes open and hear him gasp violently.  
"Vi- I'm so sorry, I'm such a fuck-up beacon of stress-"  
"No, you're not. It's okay, this is about making you better," I start.  
"And you're going to be better," Nora finishes.  
I hear him scream again, but this time louder, so loud, the lights begin to flicker violently on and off. In a sudden moment, everyone, including Chad and Patrick, is thrown away from Tate, to the other side of the basement. I fly across the room, hitting my head on one of the staircases, but with zero damage, that's when I stare up at Tate.

The lights flicker more and more, like rapid lightning strikes, like Zeus himself is punishing the Earth with his raging lightning bolt. I watch as Tate stands up in the darkness, tearing off his shirt and revealing the full extent of his markings. He begins to shake and scream like an absolute madman, his cynical laugh echoing through the entire basement.  
"MAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!" he laughs cynically with a dark voice. "MAKE IT STOP! AHAHAHAHA!"  
As the lights flicker more and more, he begins to shake more violently, and I watch as his tattoos fade one second, then grow darker another second. The process continues again and again until the lights suddenly turn off completely, and I hear another laugh, but this one doesn't seem like Tate's.  
"Tate?" I ask.  
"Are you there?" Nora asks me. "Tate?!'  
The lights come back on, revealing the absolute indescribable, something I never thought I'd see in my entire existence. I stare at Tate, who lays on the ground, looking weakened and fatigued, but above all, there's someone above him, standing before Tate. Dark tattoos, an evil smile, and dark black clothes. He looks like Tate, but he's not, in fact, he's the exact opposite of the person I'm in love with. Taint, has somehow, dug his way out of Tate's personality, literally split out of it, and is now, a duplication of his evil spirit, the spirit involved with all of his crimes and murders. Taint stands before all of us, and that in itself, can't mean anything good for the inhabitants of this house.


	17. Tainted Love

The basement is silent because everyone is caught by surprise, the whole situation is completely surreal. I lay before Taint, clearly weakened by whatever he's done to me. I don't know if this is a nightmare or reality, but by the look on everyone's faces, including Violet's, it is most definitely real. Everyone, including myself, watches as Taint caresses his face, gasping at the feeling of the dark markings that used to be my own.

"I've waited so long for this, and yet, it's a bit of a disappointment," he sighs, his eyes meeting the others in the basement. "Ladies, gentlemen, why so glum?"  
Everyone is speechless, everyone except me, I have a lot to say about this piece of shit. I watch as he points at Violet, his smile appearing within seconds.  
"You. Violet, is it? Come here, now."  
"No!" I whimper in anger, gripping Taint's leg with extreme force. "Leave her alone, you fucking monster."  
I feel his combat boot break into my stomach, with a force I've never experienced before. I feel the air gush straight out of my lungs, which makes me gasp for any sign of air.  
"I'm still you, Tate, there are two monsters here now. You, remember that because I'm not going anywhere."  
I watch as Taint's eyes meet Nora's, and immediately change when he recognises who she is.  
"Hello mother, I'm home!"  
"You're nothing like Tate," Nora growls. "He's my son."

I watch as Ben finds himself at the bottom of the basement, instantly viewing Taint and myself, confused to the absolute core. He holds a weapon in his right hand, the leg of a chair, and he looks ready to use it. I watch as his face change from confused and worried, to angry, really angry.  
"Son of a bitch," Ben snarls.  
In a sudden moment, Ben begins to charge at Taint with the table leg sprung upwards, ready to attack but not ready to be attacked. Taint thrusts forward, using both hands to push Ben away, sending him flying back into the basement staircase. Ben impacts his head at an extreme power, causing blood to already flow out of his head at a rapid rate.  
"Damn," Taint smirks. "'Bout time he joined the party."  
Taint places his boot on my back, holding me down and stopping me from trying to do anything else, that's when he begins to push down a lot harder.  
"Harmons. Violet, Vivien, and Ben. Oh, how many secrets I know about all of you, especially you, Vivien," Taint chuckles. "That night, was, the best time of my life."  
"Shut up!" Violet screams, her eyes looking just as angry as her father's.

I can see a tear flowing down Vivien's face, and I don't blame her; Taint controlled me and is the initial reason she became pregnant, which, initially lead to her death.  
"Stop," I gasp, my vision become worse and worse every time I speak. "Please."  
Taint rolls his eyes at me, looking more disappointed than mad, which makes me nervous. He begins to go down on one knee, that's when I feel his hand grip, and pull my hair upwards.  
"Tate Langdon. Want to know something? You're a relic, from an obsolete timeline. You're weak, Tate, your entire condition has become rusted and corroded, not worth anything's time anymore. You are, nothing, but me? I'm the only part of you that's worth something, even if, that part of you, is a murderer, a rapist, and pure evil. Now, you can blame me for the raping of Vivien, the murder of Patrick and Chad, and that temper you have, but, listen to me when I say this," he pauses. "The shooting of all of those students, the murder of that bitch, and the murder of the exterminator, all you. You were a monster before I clipped into your head, and now, there's nothing stopping me."  
He slams my face into the floor, and then let's go, clearly staring at someone, or everyone.

"Anyone else has something to say to me?" Taint snarls.  
"Yeah," Violet says. "I do."  
The lights flicker for a moment, and Violet appears behind Taint. She's holding the table leg, and plunges it deep into the back of Taint's throat, sticking him with the sharp edge and keeping it stuck in his neck. Patrick teleports in front of Taint, using a blade hidden in his palm to stab Taint a few times in the stomach, making him hit the floor. Vivien begins to walk towards Taint, grabbing a sledgehammer on her way to my co-existent. Taint manages to pull the table leg from his throat, and following, pints of blood. He spits onto the ground as Patrick holds his head straight, his blade trapped underneath his still healing throat.  
"I'm a ghost, like Tate, you can't kill me," Taint snarls. "Even if you do manage to 'kill' me, you're all just going to cope more bullshit when I come back."  
"And we'll be ready," Patrick whispers in his ear.  
"No, you won't."

The lights flicker once more, and I watch as Patrick is thrown into the brick wall, the blade stuck in his eye. I hear Vivien scream, and the sledgehammer crash against something, the sound of blood curling away from whatever was hit. Blood begins to surround me, swallow me like a rock, the lights turn on, and I see it, see it all. Everyone; Violet, Vivien, Ben, Nora, Patrick, Chad, Hayden, Moira, my son Michael, even Violet's baby brother Jeffrey; their heads, all on stakes. I can feel my heart-shattering at the sight, they can't heal from that, not without their bodies. I hit the ground and look up, and there stands Taint, looking proud, covered in blood, smiling.  
"I told you they weren't ready for me," he smirks, revealing an axe in his left hand. "Goodbye Tate."  
I scream, louder than I ever have before, but this isn't a scream of fear, it's of pain. I feel a hand on my face, and when I open my eyes, it's a distressed looking Violet, her tears dropping on my face. She appears to be crying for my well-being, god I hate when she does that, it makes me sad. I feel tears flow down my face now, we're crying together, with Nora and Vivien surrounding us.  
"Tate, oh my god, Tate. Come here, please," she gasps, taking me in her arms. "He's gone, it's okay, he's gone now."  
Tainted love.I


	18. Awakening

I awaken from what seems like weeks of sleep, welcomed by the sight of Violet, who's hair is messy and sexy. Behind her, is Nora, who looks dressed in more modern clothes; a plain t-shirt, jeans, with her hair down. The sunlight shines in my eyes, which it doesn't matter to me, I smile at the warmth on my face. I feel different, not sad or angry anymore like I've been cleansed in some form. I love this feeling, I don't feel tainted with my emotions anymore, I feel, safe, for the first time in a while. I watch Violet's face as it changes from concerned looking, to smiling, the sight making me blush madly. But then, a question sinks in.  
"How long have I been asleep? And- what's the new look?" I ask them both.  
"Two days," Nora says. "But you've been peaceful, no nightmares or anything like that."  
"Me and Nora were bored, and we wanted a new look for ourselves. I mean, all I did was put my hair down, but as you can see, Nora's fashion has completely changed."  
"You look good," I smile. "Both of you."  
My eyes meet Violet's, but this time, a different feeling gives in; a lustful feeling. I blush at the thought of making her purr, especially since Nora is in the room with us. I control myself, but I need to feel her warmth. I take her into a hug, kissing her forehead and feeling her warmth once again.  
"We haven't seen Taint, not at all, it's like he doesn't exist anymore," Nora pauses. "Thank god."  
"We'll sort it out when the time comes, mom," I smile, saying the m-word, and knowing that I'm saying it. "I promise."

Nora smiles at me, which gets me thinking, there's something different about her; she seems, less broken than she was before, but there's something else, she's keeping something from me; a secret. I lean up and face Vi's mirror, staring at how clean my skin looks; no more markings, no more tainted tattoos on my skin anymore. I feel normal again, not like the monster I used to see in my dreams, sure, I can't take back all of those lives I've taken, but still, I'm back to reality, no longer losing my mind.  
"I feel, better than I ever have before, I feel safe and clean," I say to myself, forgetting Violet and Nora are in the room.  
"I am part of you, Tate, always have been, always will be."  
I snap back, and there sit Nora and Violet, starring at me.  
"Tate? You didn't answer my question," Violet says.  
"I'm sorry, Vi, what did you say?"  
"I asked how you slept."  
"Oh, good, really good!" I snap, my smile becoming a string of energy. "I'm good!"

I watch as Nora stands up, heading towards the door. "I have to go help with breakfast, so I'm going leave you two alone, make sure you get some breakfast yeah?"  
"Yeah, I will, mom," I giggle to myself. "Catch you down there."  
"I've never seen you so," Violet stops.  
"Happy?" I ask her, wondering exactly what she's going to say.  
"I was going to say, thriving. I know we've all seen some bullshit, and I know it's not completely over," Violet pauses. "But, we'll get through it, I know we will, I promise. Taint, he's nothing to you, Tate, you're stronger than he is, been through more than he has. He was, literally, born yesterday; he doesn't know anything about us, nor what we're capable of doing. I love you Tate, and I cannot sit while-"  
I kiss her luscious lips, tasting her love above all other things, and believe me, it feels good. I gasp at the feeling of her hands on my chest as her nails slip against my skin. The drives me nuts, but I never want it to stop, never, ever, never.

Tate Langdon, he's a rarity, like an albino rhino; a brute with real heart. I leap onto him, touching his hair, feeling his lips against my neck, which drives me completely crazy. I can feel him, his hardness against my thighs, and it turns me on completely, making me close to desperate for his love. I kiss him more and more like I'm a god damn animal, but I don't care, I can be an animal for a few minutes if I really want to. I feel him lift up my shirt, and I let him, placing my hands wide up as the shirt slips right over my head. I watch Tate's face changes from horny as hell, too surprised as he stares at my purple lacy bra.  
"Do you like?" I ask him, giggling at the look on his face.  
"Me?" He asks. "Oh my god, Vi, I love."  
I watch as his hands move closer and closer to my jeans, unzipping them, and pulling them down, revealing what I'm wearing underneath; nothing.


	19. Reunions

I slowly make my way down the stairs, feeling nervous, like it's the first time I'm seeing my family in months. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, but then I see Violet besides me, and the look on her face reminds me of what we had gotten up to an hour ago. I giggle to myself, watching as she raises an eyebrow, to which I react by simply winking at her. I control my breathing, finding my way to some form of calmness, that's when I feel Violet's hand touch mine.  
"Babe? Why are you so nervous?" She asks me, a smile appearing on her face.  
"I'm normal now, I mean, this is initially the first interaction I'm having with everyone, where I'm no threat to any of them. I feel good, I don't feel like I have to watch every move I make any more, and, honestly, I've never felt like this before."  
"I'm proud of you," Violet smiles. "Really, I am."  
"Thank you, Vi, I don't know what I'd do without you, I mean it."  
I take my final step down the stairs, and then, I reach the bottom, breathing heavily. I look up and smile, seeing them; my family.

Everyone celebrates at the sight of me, smiling and laughing. Everyone seems happy, and I love that, it makes me happier. Nobody has to fear me anymore, Taint no longer has hold of me anymore, and that in itself, makes everything feel free.  
"Welcome back, Tate!" Patrick says to me, dragging me into a hug.  
Hayden, Nora, Moira and Vivien join the hug, making me feel warm inside. I turn around, and there stands Ben, starring me up and down.  
"Welcome to the family, Tate Langdon," he says, dragging me into a very awkward hug, to which I join happily.  
I watch as Moira and Vivien open the oven, taking a tray away from it, revealing two dozen small cookies. The simple look of them makes my mouth water, which is weird because I've never felt hungry since my death. I turn again, seeing Chad, looking down as always with a glass of wine in his hand, which makes me feel terrible. I make my way towards him, gulping down on all the air I have in my lungs.

"Hey Chad," I speak awkwardly, catching his attention.  
"Oh, hello Tate."  
"Can we talk? You seem, bored."  
"Sure thing, hun!" Chad speaks sarcastically, making me roll my eyes, but still, sit down.  
"I know you, don't like me very much, and I don't blame you, I mean, I did murder you. But, I'm sorry, okay? I know, that doesn't account for anything, but well, hopefully, I can make it up to you, one day."  
I begin to walk away, but that's when I hear his voice again. "Tate?"  
"Yeah, Chad?"  
"I'm sorry, for being such a tight ass to you, I know you're, not the same person anymore-"  
"It's okay, Chad. It doesn't bother me, as long as you're okay?"  
"I am," he smiles, taking a sip of his wine, watching as Patrick happily joins him.  
"Oh, and PS. I'm going to call you both over with me and Ben in a minute."

I walk away, starring at Ben, noticing how skittish he's looking. What the fuck is going on in his head? I need to find out.  
"Hey, Ben?" I start. "Can I speak to you, in private."  
Ben nods, heading his way towards me straight away, Patrick and Chad joining us the second he reaches me.  
"What's up?" Ben questions.  
"We need to," I pause, staring at the other two. "Figure out a way to get rid of him, Taint, for good."  
Chad chuckles. "Yeah well, I owe that fuckward a couple stabs and a break in the neck."  
"And I owe him a fire-poker in his ass," Patrick adds.  
"Enough," Ben whispers. "I agree, but we shouldn't focus on that yet. Tate, this day, is about you, so, celebrate."  
"Yeah," I agree, starring over at the beautiful women in the kitchen, especially my Violet. "I'm not going to let him hurt anyone else, I'd kill him over and over, rather than let him do that."

My eyes meet Violet's, and suddenly, I'm tasted with a different type of flavour; chocolate against caramel, my eyes against hers. The taste is sweet in the mouth, so sweet, it gives me shivers from inside; the perfect mixture. She smiles at me, then winks as she takes a bite of a cookie, making my mouth water more than it did before. She's seducing me, that's for sure, but, I don't want to make a scene, I mean, Ben is standing inches away from me. I can feel the sword of my heart crumbling to her shield as she smiles at me, her smirk glowing from her cheeks. I smile back, not even noticing Chad and Patrick walking away from us.  
"Come here," she mouths at me, making me silently laugh, nodding in reply.

I begin to walk towards my beautiful Violet, and then, I'm caught off-guard when Ben is suddenly thrown on top me, growling at the impact. I stare over at Violet once more, and the look on her face; the look of absolute fear, it terrifies me. What the fuck is going on now?!  
"Get off me!" I scream, flicking myself away from Ben.  
I get myself to my feet, seeing it, him, standing before me, with that disgusting grin on his face as he claps. The look on his says it all; he wants to be here, wants to do something, that's what he does; he hunts, he hurts, he hates.  
"Well, well, well," he says as he finishes with a loud as fuck clap. "Isn't this one happy, reunion with family?"  
I can feel myself becoming bottled up anger and hatred, caused by his sheer presence. He's the thing that made me do most of the horrible things in my life, he's the one who caused the suffering and pain in my life, I hate him, and I can tell, things are about to become, bloody.


	20. When Monsters Evolve

The room is silent, everyone is shocked, but not me, I'm ghoulish. I snarl like an angry wolf, I can feel my teeth chattering together like I'm ready to bite Taint and rip out his throat. I want to, kill him, over and over and fucking over again, rip his cunt of a head off, and shove it up his asshole. I want to do extremely evil things to him, things that would make the devil shake and cringe at an extreme rate.  
"You're not invited, freak!" Patrick snarls. "Leave!"  
"That's no way to treat a guest!" Taint cries out, his voice cracking a little. "I come here to play, and you, don't want to?"  
"I can fix this problem," Violet gnarls. "Easy fix. Taint, go away."

Even with the magic words, he doesn't disappear, it doesn't even seem to affect him, not in the slightest.  
"Awww, what's the matter?" Taint ghouls, his smile appearing from within his tattoos. "Your little trick not working?"  
"Why aren't you gone?!" Tate roars at his co-existent. "WHY?!"  
"Sure, you and Violet may be 'evolved', but not as 'evolved' as I am. You see, that garbage doesn't work on me, and it will never work," Taint explains. "Why?! Because, technically, I'm not even here! I don't exist!"  
"Then you can't hurt us," Vivien says bravely.  
"Oh, I can, believe me, I can hurt you more than you could know, allow me to show all of you, what I'm capable of doing. Everyone but Tate, go away."  
In a blink of an eye, Ben disappears from in front of me, and when I turn, everyone else is gone too. My heart slams against my chest, not in fear, but in anger. I hate the thing that stands in front of me, I hate it so much, I want to kill it.  
"So, as far as evolution goes, Tatey-Watey, I'm further in front."  
"What is it you want, Taint?" I question, more aggressive than I've ever been in my life.

"I want us to be friends, Tate, partners even. I want you, to know me. I mean, technically I'm a simple construction of your pain and misery, but now! I have a personality, even if it isn't completely pleasant."  
"You're not wrong about that, asshole. You raped my girlfriend's mother!"  
"And in the progress, granted you a son, can't have it both ways, Tatey-Watey. You killed all of those students, and in the progress granted yourself a quick end and eternal life. You murdered the exterminator, and in the progress slowed down the inevitability of Violet finding out about her self-inflicted fate. Like I said, you have to give, to get."  
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" I screamed, punching the wall and cracking it. "YOU SHOULD LEAVE NOW!  
"Woah! Calm down, dude!" Taint says. "I'll stop calling you that then."

I launch myself at Taint, gripping his head and slamming it into a wall, denting it fiercely. But taint just laughs at me, antagonising me more and more, and it's working.  
"Man, o' man. I guess the relic got the upgrade, huh?" Taint giggles evilly, spitting blood onto the ground.  
"Shut it!" I snarl, gripping his arm and pulling it until I hear a crack, and a growl afterwards.  
"Violet," Taint snarls. "It's gonna' be a kick in the balls when I rape her, make her bleed, right in front of me."  
I lose the plot, gripping his neck and throwing him to the ground, feeling the world shake under my feet. I pick up a lamp and slam it into his head, over and over, watching as blood curdles his face. I watch as his face becomes more mutilated by the impact, but yet, that smile doesn't disappear, neither does the laugh.  
"Do it! Be exactly like me."  
"No! I'm who I am, not you. I'm Tate Langdon, I have a heart."

I launch myself away from him, watching him as he stands up, his face healing more and more every god damn second, with his chuckle not disappearing from my eyes. That's when he begins to clap once again.  
"Congratu-fucking-lations! You found your inner self."  
I watch Taint as he quickly finds his way to the kitchen, taking a knife from the block and holding it with a sinister look. He twists the knife in his palm, spinning it graciously in his hand.  
"But there are a few weaknesses you still have caught in your little psyche of yours," Taint states.  
"Yeah?" I laugh but then think about Violet, becoming nervous instantly. "And what will that be?"  
"Oh, you know," he pauses. "A little thing called, family. Everyone, come back."

Everyone comes back in a blink of an eye, and in front of Tate, spawns Nora. I watch as he grips her hair, placing the knife against his throat, which terrifies me. This is my idol, my mother, my guardian, and she's in danger. The rage bottles up inside.  
"Nobody move or I slit her throat," Taint smirks. "And believe me, I want you to move."  
"Tate," Violet cries out in horror.  
"Help me," Nora also cries out.  
I watch as Taint slides the blade against her throat, smelling her hair, shaking at the smell. The look disturbs me, he's thinking about, 'doing' her, I can tell.  
"The homicidal, the suicidal, the gays, the whores, the innocent, the cheaters, the victims, and none of you can STOP ME!" Taint screams, making everyone jump. "You're all pathetic, goodbye."  
I blink, and they're gone; Nora and Taint. He took her, and I let him, the thought makes me scream at the top of lungs with my knees hitting the floor. I rip a piece out of my hair, then, I feel Violet's hand on my shoulder, the only thing keeping me from burning the whole place to the ground.  
"I'm going to find them both, and then, I'm going to make sure he can't heal from his fucking wounds."


	21. Searching For A Light

I watch Tate as he violently breaks his fist through the walls of the house, each wall making Chad cringe and sigh. But he doesn't say anything to Tate, nobody wants to, everyone is too skittish to try to speak the walking time-bomb that is my boyfriend, even I'm slightly scared to speak to him. He appears to be looking for something, but I don't know what; maybe Nora, Taint, maybe something else entirely. I slowly make my way towards him, making my steps loud enough so he knows I'm coming, I don't wish to startle him when he's completely stressed.  
"Tate?" I say softly, getting his attention. "What are you doing?"  
"I- I have to- I have to find her, fuck knows what he has planned for her," Tate shrieks, sounding more stressed than before. "I need to find clues, I need to think about where he could have taken her, I need to fucking know where she is!"  
"I know," I say, placing my hand on his shoulder, feeling him shake violently. "We'll find her, I promise."

I watch him as he hits the floor, punching it violently, creating a massive dint. Each punch makes Tate's hand bleed more and more, which sends shivers down my spine, I hate blood, I have since I stopped slitting my wrists, makes me feel sick.  
"We're going to find her, Tate," my mother says. "He's probably just hiding her away from us, using her as leverage."  
"No, no, no! Vivien, you don't understand! None of you do!" Tate snaps, making me nearly jump out of my skin. "He antagonised me, told me he was going to rape Violet, 'make her bleed', and he seemed to be fucking serious to me! That's why I went crazy before and beat his face in, why I didn't want to stop beating on his face. I swear, if he touches one hair on Nora's head, I WILL FUCKING RIP HIS HEAD OFF WITH MY BARE HANDS!"  
I'm clueless, I don't know what to say, better yet, how to make her calm down. His time-bomb is about to go off, and with the amount of stress ticking around his head, it's going to be a hell of an explosion. I can hear his breathing change to something else, something that I've never heard before; like an angry beast mixed with a monstrous demon, the mere sound of it makes me more scared than I already am. It's obvious now, he's afraid, afraid that Taint is going to rape his mother like he did to my own, the thought makes me hurt from inside. I know that won't happen, Tate would do things to Taint, that would make the devil weep if he did, or, he would let himself die again and again.

I watch Patrick and my dad as they move to comfort him, but they got shut-off when he stands up, pacing around again. Tate looks like a wolf pup looking for its mother, panicking while howling and crying out to her. The sight swells up my eyes, sending tears down my cheeks and slowly down to my chin, hitting the floor in a quick second. Hateful tears roll down his face like he's in some panic-attack like-trance, but he's in complete control; he knows what he's doing and why he's doing it.  
"Tate?" I cry out to him. "What are we going to do?"  
"I have to- I have to think, we were the same person, right?" Tate says. "That means if he knows a hiding place, so do I, right? I need to think about places I hid through those months or places I woke up after blacking out. Yeah, that's right, that's I have to do!"  
Tate moves to a different wall, punching his fist straight through it, and gripping onto something, something inside the wall. Tate yanks, breaking the wall from inside with a large object; an axe.  
"I haven't used this axe since the girl that tried to kill you," Tate explains. "But, in a time like this, I intend to use it again. I intend to cut him down, make sure to remove his head and bury it somewhere away from his body. I apologise to all of you, but I have to do this, and there will be blood."

I make myself appear in front of him as he begins to move away, stopping him in his tracks. I place my finger along the blade of the axe, creating a small cut on the soft flesh.  
"Vi, what are you doing?" Tate gasps, dragging the blade away from me. "You hurt yourself!"  
"Yes, because I'm a part of this now! The axe just took my blood, it owes me now, I'm a part of it, I'm a part of you!" I scream. "All I can tell you, Tate, is now, I'm going to be a part of this, and I'm going to help you find Nora, whether you like it or not."  
"What happens if we find him?" Tate snarls. "What will we do."  
"I'm going to help you cut off his fucking head!"


	22. Forgotten, Dark Secrets

Tate and I, we wander around the basement together, still looking for Nora. It's been a whole two days since Taint took her, and Tate, well, he isn't doing so well. He's stressed, and I don't blame him, I mean, it's his mom we're talking about here. When I thought it was already hard to keep him in control, this happens and, now, it's an absolute nightmare. Although, I haven't told him that, don't want him stressing out more than he already is. I watch him carefully as he paces around, looking for any clue as to where his counter-part may have taken his mother, while he sharpens the head of the axe with a hot rock from the fireplace.  
"Tate? Is that really necessary?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow.  
"Only thing keeping me calm, so yes."  
"Burning your hand to a crisp is calming you down?" I roll my eyes. "If you say so."

I stop, thinking about how much of a bitch I just was, but he knows how much sleep I've gotten in the past two days. But yet, I know he hasn't slept at all, fuck, I'm such a bitch. He told me he wasn't going to sleep until he finds her, and that has been the case for the past couple days, I feel bad for him, I do, especially after the shit I had just pulled off.  
"Tate," I softly say. "I'm sorry."  
"Don't be," he smiles sadly, throwing the stone onto the ground and stomping on it. "You're right anyway."  
I smile at the love of my life peacefully, but we still have a job to do, no time for 'fun' in the basement, for now anyway. I search around, but the dark has surrounded us, so it's near impossible to find anything, especially anything important. That's when a question pops up in my head, one that may lead to something useful.  
"Did you ever find any places to hide in the basement? I mean, did you find places you, never thought you would find?"  
"You know," Tate pauses, looking, I don't know. "The scary part about that question is, I have no idea, Vi. It's like, the memory of those months of being gone, were wiped clean like someone didn't want me to remember certain things about it. It sounds crazy and completely impossible-"  
"Like the possibility of a second-self literally tearing out of your body? I believe you, Tate, I believe he had something to do with that."  
"Really?" He asks me.  
"Definitely," I say.

"I do, remember some things, Vi," he adds, his eyes becoming dark for a second.  
"Like what, Tate?"  
"Sequences; suffering, self-harm, I remember torturing myself, over and over again. Those are the only memories I have of those months, and no doubt, it scares the crap out of me, so I try not to remember. I didn't have an intent to stop, Vi, but for some reason, I did."  
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Tate, I promise you. You'll never have to again."  
"I don't intend to," Tate adds back. "Not, ever again."  
He takes me into his arms, softly and lovingly. I feel him kiss me on my head, to which I react, by kissing him on the chin lovingly.  
"C'mon, let's-  
"Vi, shh," he suddenly cracks, stopping me from speaking. "Something's in the dark over there."

I turn to face a small, deranged shadow in the darkness, staring at us with what seem like glowing, blood red eyes. It stays still, watching us silently like it doesn't know that we know, it's there.  
"Vi," Tate whispers. "It's Thaddeus."  
I can't believe that it's him, he looks smaller than he was when I saw him previously. He's somehow shrunk, he's much smaller, and skinnier, looking more like a ghoul than anything I could bring to his description. He still looks terrifying, and devastatingly hungry, that's when he begins to move. I remember the first time I saw him, when I tried to scare Leah, he's changed since then, for the worst.  
"VI!" Tate screams, gripping his axe tighter, trying to hit the creature, but fails.  
I watch Thaddeus as he stops in front of a book-shelf, perched down, still as ever. in the light, he appears to be a mix of man, and something else, and it's terrifying. He appears to be starring at one of the books, then quickly scurries away into the darkness once again.  
"What the hell was that about?" Tate says, putting the axe down once more. "I was ready to cut the fucker in half, lucky he didn't hurt any of you, or I would have had no choice."  
"Yeah," I scoff. "Lucky."

Tate walks to the bookshelf, using his fingers to feel around the spines until he stops.  
"I remember this book," he states, gripping onto it. "Nora, she used to read me these nursery rhymes when I was younger, they're in this book."  
"Pull it out," I joke. "Maybe there's a secret passageway."  
Tate rolls his eyes at me, pulling the book away from the shelf, but it stops, and in a sudden moment, the wall begins to open.  
"Oh," I scoff. "Shit."  
The wall opens completely, and Tate quickly grips the wooden handle of his axe, dragging it towards the newly opened door to protect both of us.  
"Come in after me, Vi, please."  
"Yeah, no problem there," I agree.  
He slowly makes his way in the dark of the secret room, I follow behind him, and the lights suddenly turn on. Inside, Nora sits, strapped to a chair, cuts and bruises all over her body, but she's conscious. As Tate drops his axe and tries to break the chains from the chair she's strapped in, I feel something; hot breath against my neck. I feel an arm grip on my throat, placing me in a headlock, a tight headlock.  
"TATE!" I scream, muffled.  
Tate turns around, his eyes glancing at me in horror, then, I disappear. Suddenly I'm on top of the stairs, with something cold and metal being held against my back.  
"Finally," a male voice whispers in my ear. "It's time to get revenge on your boyfriend."  
"Taint," I snarl angrily.  
"Did you miss me?"

Tate appears in the living room, holding Nora up straight with one hand, with the axe in the other, starring up at me and Taint. I try to scream, but his arm digs deeper into my throat, stopping any oxygen from entering my body.  
"LET HER GO!" I hear Tate scream.  
"You can't save them both, Tate, it's one, or the other. Nora, or your preciously Violet."  
I feel Taint smell my hair, and send godforsaken shivers down my spine, making me feel sick in the stomach.  
"She even feels like Violets."  
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"  
"You know what?" Taint scoffs. "You're just bothering me now."  
I'm suddenly pushed down the stairs by Taint, but Tate manages to catch from a hard impact, but still, the sudden push makes me feel extremely oozy. I look up, and Taint stands before Tate and I, holding the shotgun right against Tate's chin. And in a sudden blink, he pulls the trigger.


	23. A Tainting End

In a sudden moment, the trigger is pulled, and I watch for what seems like an hour, Tate takes the impact. Red. That's all I can see, all I can smell and taste as ringing continues in my ears. I wipe my face, feeling the warmth of red; blood. I still can't see, I still feel sick in the stomach from the smell, which has somehow affected my eye-sight. The gunshot had to be louder than the loudest of lightning strikes, more ferocious than the most monstrous of roars. It was obvious, the choice Tate had made; to protect me at all costs, he'd suffer in the process. I don't want to be the girl in distress, but he would never let me be the one to take the fall, and now, I don't know what state he's currently in. I scream out for him as I try to get up, slowly gaining back my sight, not sure what I'm about to witness, fuck, not sure if I want to witness it.

In a sudden moment, my eyes adjust once more, and, I see Tate, falling over me, and onto the dusty floor, still, conscious.  
"Tate?" I ask in fear.  
He looks up at me, and, I've never seen anything or anyone like it. His face, his sweet face, mutilated, torn apart by the shotgun blast. He bleeds everywhere as he looks back down, and I have no other choice but to stare at the missing part of his face, and both the bone and muscle that I can see through the hole. I stare the, still, smiling nemesis of Taint, and I. He looks pleased with himself, he probably is, which makes me even more pissed off. I want to lose it, and I have a god damn feeling I'm about to get a chance to.  
"Hey, 'Vi'?" Taint whistles, giggling a little. "Do you think that hurt Tate? Or do I have to shoot again? I mean, the choice is up to you, but-"  
"Shut the fuck up," I snarl at the asshole in front of me. "Or I'll make you."  
"Do you want to be shot too, girly?" Taint growls. "I'll fucking do it, you know I will."  
"I wouldn't," I growl back like a child, hearing familiar voices in, and around the house. "The spirits will be, very, very mad."

I feel a breeze slash against my hair, and in an unexpected moment, Tate's axe goes flying past me, flying towards the top of the stairs and hitting Taint in the shoulder. I watch as Taint is knocked back against the wall, firing his weapon in imbalance, that's when Tate makes his move. I watch carefully as Tate makes his way up the stairs Taint pulling the blade out of his shoulder while he does so.  
"You. Mother. Fucker."  
Taint fires his shotgun again, hitting Tate in the stomach, again and again, causing a deep anger inside of my heart. I pick up a vase from a nearby shelf and make myself appear behind Taint, hitting him in the head with it, breaking it entirely. I move away from Tate's way, watching as he grips his co-existent's throat, slamming him against a wall. A brawl between angel and devil, it was going to happen, whether Taint liked it or not. I notice something strange; Tate's face has already healed.

I hold Taint still, feeling the full effect of whatever is going on with my face. I can feel the ability to speak rise up again, so I plan on giving the son of a cunt, the message of his life.  
"You think you can just come here?! Hurt my MOTHER?! MY GIRLFRIEND!"  
I drag him past Violet and into the bathroom as he laughs sadistically, breaking his face against the cabinet, picking him up, and then breaking the mirror with his skull. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this violence, feels like payback, feels amazing.  
"You think any of your BULLSHIT!" Taint stops, spitting blood at me. "Will do anything."  
"SHUT UP!" I scream again, smashing his face into the mirror again, feeling his body shake in adrenaline.  
"Want to know something," he says, gripping my throat. "I've always been a part of your life, you just didn't know it."  
I watch as Ben comes into the room with the axe, so I move Taint towards his direction, giving him the green light. Ben slams down the axe, placing it deep inside of his back, and his spinal cord. Taint's eyes roll back for a single second, but then they come back, looking angry.  
"My turn."

Taint manages to kick Ben away, forcing him into the wall, and breaking it. He pulls his arm back, just out of reach of the axe head, so he does something I'd never expect. He breaks his arm forcefully, allowing himself to stretch his reach, grabbing the axe head and ripping it off his back, then snapping his arm back into place. He laughs as he stares at the blood on his hand, then he starts to whistle, a tune a recognise in my dreams, he's antagonising me, and it's fucking working.  
"Let's, go for a walk, buddy," he says, taking us to the basement in a blink of an eye. "Much better."  
He throws me into the side of the opened up wall, making my body break some of the bricks on impact and crash onto the ground.  
"You know," he smirks at me. "You're a fiery one, Tate Langdon. I like that! Maybe, for all of the bullshit you caused me, I'll give your boy a visit after I'm done here?"  
My eyes peer back at him, I swear, a volcano is burning up my body with rage. I want to send him here, and now. But I can't, I need some help first.  
"Come on, Tate, let's finish this, together."

I launch myself onto Taint, gripping his chest and making us appear back in the living room, where I know, the gang is waiting.  
"NOW!" I scream.  
I watch as Chad pulls a knife from his belt, stabbing Taint multiple times in both the back and neck. Vivien sticks a blade into Taint's side, directly into his now, bloody kidney. Ben and Hayden begin kicking the shit out of him, hard enough to break ribs cages. Blood comes drooling out of Taint's mouth, dark and blackish red blood.  
"Nice try," he chokes on blood. "But- you're- gonna'- have to- try- harder."  
"Get him, hun," Chad smirks with a dark look as Patrick appears behind him.  
"My turn," Patrick smiles, cracking his knuckles.  
Patrick grips onto Taint's neck, picking him up with one hand, throwing him into the wall, then picks him up again. But Taint manages to break from Patrick's ghostly grip, holding his head down onto the floor, yanking Vivien's knife from his side. Taint shoves the blade into the throat of Chad, making him choke on his own blood, then turns to Patrick, breaking his neck once more.  
"Never gets old."

I watch patiently as Taint manages to get to feet, all of his wounds and broken bones healing in a matter of seconds. He holds the axe in his arms, looking tempted to use it, violently.  
"Is that all you've got?!" He roars. "C'mon, I want to see more from all of you. At least throw something more than a couple of faggots!"  
"Tempting," I scoff. "But, that can wait."  
"You're out of your league, Tate, you cannot stop me. None of you can, not physically or mentally! We're the same person, Tate, I'm everything you've ever hated about the world, put into one person. I'm darkness, your darkness, I block out the fucking sun!"  
"The sun," I hear Violet whispers. "THE SUN."  
I charge towards my nemesis, and he does the same to me. We collide, creating an unknown force I've never felt before, but for some reason, I'm the one who prevails. The sheer force of my power sends both of us through the front door, and out the front of the house. I stare at the sky; it's close to morning, close to finding out whether our new method will work. I hear him scream, and as I turn, I see him swing the axe. I manage to dodge getting my head cut off, kicking him in the balls, and making him drop the axe.

"NOT FAIR!" He screams once more, charging at me once more, his nails ready to gouge out my eyes.  
Violet comes out of nowhere, swinging something metal towards Taint, creating a metallic sound, and making him scream loudly. I stare over at Taint, and that's when I see it; his bloody hand, creeping along the ground, shaking like it's still connected to the rest of his arm. Violet wields a now messy machete in her hands, looking pleased with herself. I turn, watching Ben as he passes me Taint's shotgun, and I snatch it off him, cocking it. I fire two rounds into his chest and another in his stomach, then drop the weapon. I grip the axe tighter than I have ever gripped it before, slamming it into the top of his neck, deep into the top of his spine. I feel the bone grind against the metal as I drag him towards the gate by the axe, coming closer and closer to it. I don't know how, or why, but he manages to break away from the axe, and place me in a headlock as he passes the gate, me in his hands.

"TATE!" Violet screams as the sun begins to come up.  
I try to break free from his grasp, but, even with one hand, he's got a fucken hell of a grip. I watch as the gates as something strange happens, blue smoke begins to slowly ease off the gates like they're burning.  
"No. It happened, you're free," Taint gasps. "Impossible. No, no, no! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME!"  
"GET OFF OF ME!" I roar at the creature holding onto me.  
"Imagine it, Tate; a world, where it's only me and you, forever."  
"Not on my watch," I hear a familiar voice say.  
I turn to see my mother, Nora, holding a revolver in her hands, and she looks pissed off.  
"You won't do it, you stupid c-"  
Nora fires her revolver, hitting Taint in the middle of the head, sending him to the ground. The sun comes up, and I have a single second to get back into the yard. I blink. Did I make it?!


	24. Freedom

I sit at the edge of the gate, starring off into the distance, and thinking about the night we finally got rid of him, of Taint. The pain we had suffered because of him, it ended the moment he turned into dust by a single touch of the sun and blew away by the wind. But even then, I feel exhausted, all that energy I had used, Tate had used, it seems that we'll never get it back. I slowly drive my hand through the walls of the still, broken metal, watching as my hand successfully goes through the walls, feeling a tingling sensation, just like before.  
"Never gets old does it?"  
I turn to face the voice coming from behind me, smiling at Tate, graciously. He's dressed in casual clothing, looking sexy as hell, with his blond curly fringe slicked to the side. He appears to be enjoying his haircut, he wanted new, so that's what he got. Damn, he does look handsome.  
"No, it never does," I smile. "Where are we going today?"  
"I was thinking; we go get you some new clothes, go see a movie, go out for dinner, then back home for some, fun."  
"Sounds great to me," I smile at his plans, watching as he walks closer to me, placing his hand out, to which I take it, and head outside with him.

We enjoy the sunshine together, holding each other's hands, smiling at one another.  
"How's Nora?" I ask, starring at the place he appears to be stopping.  
"She's good, getting heaps of sleep now."  
"Tate?"  
"Yeah, Vi?" He asks back, starring at his old house, his mother holding his son through the windows.  
"What are we doing here?" I ask back.  
"Do you want to see your brother?"  
"As much as he kinda' is my brother, my parents and I, we spoke about that whole, situation."  
"And?" Tate questions, his eyes tearing up.  
"He seems more like a Langdon, than a Harmon."

Tate smiles at me, even if he doesn't quite understand the situation, hell, neither do I really. Michael, he's different, I mean, his father is technically dead, and one day, he'll be older than Tate. We'll adapt, one day, it'll just take some time first, Tate and I, we'll explain to him what happened when the time is right. We walk away from the house, making our ways down the road, not expecting Tate's next question.  
"Is it weird?" He asks me, smiling as he looks down at my smiling cheeks.  
"Is what weird, Tate?"  
"Don't give me that shit," Tate jokes. "I mean, we're technically still dead, nobody can just walk up to us and kill us. We can still use our ghost abilities in the real world, and-"  
"Tate," I giggle. "Keep your voice down, people will think we're crazy as fuck."  
Tate chuckles at my words, his dimples smiling down at me. "Didn't think that through."

He was right though, we were still technically dead, with the same ghost abilities, but we're through the gates, and, it's not Halloween. After Taint broke through the gate with Tate in his arms, they did someone to the gate, somehow, burnt down the barrier between the world of the dead, and the living. We didn't think much about it, we just went with the fucking flow, and plus, Chad didn't give a shit and used himself as the test dummy, he wanted to buy pumpkins or some shit for future Halloween parties. Tate though, he seemed excited to finally be free, he told me, he had never felt that amount of freedom, not once in his life. And because of that statement, I smiled for fucking days. That was two weeks ago.

Tate and I walk through the park near our old school, trying not be seen, just in case someone recognises us. Don't want anyone seeing a dead, and a missing person, right? Tate suddenly grips onto my legs, picking me up, and holding me tightly.  
"Tate!" I giggle. "What the hell are you doing?"  
"Hold on tight!" He yells, making us appear in a different location, a familiar location.  
"This wasn't," I stop, starring at the beautiful beach spot Tate loves so much, but specifically, a heart-shaped rock to sit on. "Oh, Tate."  
"I did it myself, broke it off, and smoothed it down," he explains nervously. "Do you like it?"  
"I love it!" I scream, sitting down, feeling its beauty and comfort. "You really didn't have to."  
"But I wanted to," he smiles beautifully. "It was on my mind."  
"I love it," I smile at my amazing boyfriend. "And I love you."

I take him into my arms, feeling his warmth once more, enjoying every moment of our hug. It's moments like this, that doesn't make the afterlife seem so terrible, if I could have this, forever, I'll be set, for absolute, fucking, life.  
"Tate Langdon, I don't entirely understand what you are, but I do know, you're special."  
"I've been thinking," Tate begins. "We haven't had time for ourselves in, forever. How about we go on a trip, take a train, a plane, whatever it takes. But, we go somewhere, just for a month or two, just us. Our only problem would be identification, that would be a pain in the ass, seeing, you know. But I promise you-"  
"Tate!" I stop him from speaking any more. "I would absolutely love to have a holiday with you, but first; location? What did you have in mind?"  
"I was thinking," he smiles. "New Orleans."

I smirk at the idea, he knows I've always wanted to go, I've felt drawn there since I was a child, and now, we're going. Everything I've ever wanted; a family, a loving boyfriend, a life worth living, I have that now, and I never, ever plan on letting that go. I stare at Tate lustfully, staring straight into his chocolate brown eyes, enjoying every inch of them.  
"What is it, Vi?" He asks me, staring at me the same he stares at me.  
"I have a new plan."  
"Oh really?" He asks. "Please, do tell."  
"We skip all of the plans we had previously, and instead, we skip to the end. Bed."

Tate smirks at me, a look in his eyes as he grabs onto my waist, kissing me lovingly.  
"Let's go then."


End file.
